I Won't Let You Go
by XxToToXx
Summary: SEQUAL TO I WONT GIVE UP- it's said that if you love something let it go, and If it comes back then that's how you know it's real. Nothing can destroy what's destined to be and true love can never be buried and forgotten. Will Katara and Zuko finally have a happy ending?
1. Chapter 1

**Story Title: **I Won't Let You Go

**Author:** XxToToXx

**Full Summary: -SEQUAL TO I WONT GIVE UP- it's said that if you love something let it go, and If it comes back then that's how you know it's real. Nothing can destroy what's destined to be and true love can never be buried and forgotten. Will Katara and Zuko finally have a happy ending?**

**One**

"Yue!" He yells out once he makes it inside the house. Yue comes from out of the kitchen and looks at him in confusion. The white sundress she's wearing flows around her as she walks to him expertly in her high heels.

"What's the matter?" She asks. "Is something or fire? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"Yukyra did it again." Zuko hands over the infant to her mother. She's small, tanned, has big baby blue eyes, and curly chocolate hair. Yukyra is quiet the beauty, and at nine months old she's already charming people and demanding that they do what she says. Her name is a combination of Yue, Kya, and … Katara's name.

Yue coos her daughter as she lays her down on the sofa. Zuko goes into the diaper bag and pulls out a diaper and a pack of wipes. He's played baby sitter today while Sokka finished up some things at work, and plus Yue and the others are getting ready for today. They're having a cookout in the park, it's something they do a lot during the summer.

"Thanks so much for this." Yue says with a sigh as she rolls up the soiled diaper. "She was about to drive me crazy. She wakes up crying more than any other child I know and she's always fussy and mean. I don't think she likes me."

"That's crazy."

"It's the truth. Sokka never has a problem with her. She's the perfect angel when it comes down to Sokka."

"You sound jealous."

"Of course I am!" She stomps her feet when she goes to throw away the diaper. Zuko fakes the time to look around the home, after Sokka and Yue got Married in May they bought quite a home. When Sokka said that he was saving up he really meant it. It's vey open and bright and roomy, Sokka didn't have much say on the interior design though. He has a man cave that keeps him satisfied. He and Sokka have become pretty close, along with Haru and Toph, even the monk.

Yue comes back into the living room with a big pot of something and places it on the coffee table. Zuko has no clue what it is but he's going to have to swallow it down soon, Yue isn't the best cook.

"Did you get the chips and drinks?"

"I think I got enough. Iroh is getting the drinks."

"I guess that's it then." She swings the diaper bag over her shoulder and picks up a giggling Yukyra and pushes her hair back. "Are we going in your car or mines?"

"Yours since it's bigger." He picks up the pot of sloppy yellow liquid and follows her out the front door. Never in a million years would Zuko have thought that Yue, little miss priss, would actually have a friendship. She's been here keeping him on track and making him stay sane. Toph's been helping too, but she's a little tougher.

"This time can you please remember that you have a child in the backseat and you're not trying to catch an early morning blowout sale at the mall." Zuko jokes after he's strapped himself in.

"Hey, don't insult my driving." She laughs as se starts the engine and zooms off. Zuko holds on.

"You still don't have a license?"

"No, I know how to drive. I don't need a piece of plastic to prove that." She says smartly. "It's such a beautiful day today- I'm not just saying that because I'm out here either- but…" she flexes her manicured fingers on the steering wheel. "Today's gonna be a good day, who knows? You might even meet someone."

"I don't want to meet anyone."

"I'm going to tell you this friend to friend. It's been nineteen months. Katara hasn't called, texted, or anything. Did you hear when I said nineteen months? She was supposed to be here in June, Zuko its the end of June and she was supposed to be here in the middle of May really, not to mention some shows were cancelled. Maybe she isn't coming back, not that I care or anything." She cares, she just doesn't want to show it anymore.

"Why are you so mad at her? Aren't you two like best friends and sisters?"

"We were. We were until she ignored my birthday, my wedding, my child's birth, my pre labor photos-"

"Alright. I get it. She's a terrible person."

"No calls, no messages, no emails, no nothing. It's like she cut all of us off." She says lowly. "Bitch."

Zuko definitely hasn't spoken to her. The closest he's come to hearing her voice and seeing her face is when she's on television. He sees her every though- televisions, magazine covers, posters. And not to mention she's always on the radio. From the looks of it, she's getting over him just fine. The tabloids trace her every move just about. She's been seen with other celebrities around the globe, mostly men. There's no really sure way to know who she's dating or if she's really even dating any of them. There's no depressing music, every time he sees a photo of her she's smiling and happy, it's like she doesn't have a care in the world. She's moving on, why can't he? Why won't he?

He knows why, because he loves her too much.

"There's going to be booze, lots of food and candy, did I mention there's going to be women there? Let's face it, you're going to drive yourself into death like this. Sitting here stressing over her isn't going to get you anywhere. The best thing for you right now is to live. Get out there and be happy! By being happy I don't mean sleeping with a different woman every night."

"I am happy."

Yue snorts. "So burying yourself in your work and staying locked in your office barely eating and pretending everything is alright is being happy? Oh please." She throws on breaks and makes a sharp left turn in front of an eighteen wheeler and speeds down the road to the city park. The road is lined with tall oak trees and a white fence, green pastures lay behind them where sunflowers and other little plants and flowers are growing. The sun is shining as bright as ever, too bright for Zuko's liking.

Yue parks crookedly in a slot in the gravel parking lot. She doesn't even need help walking across the rocks in heels, she must be used to it. In the field across from them are about three dozen picnic tables, multiple grills fire up and smoking, and long white tables hold numerous pots and dishes. Everyone's in their summer clothes and hats, standing around talking and laughing and eating. It's a real family event.

"Can you not be so gloomy and brooding today?" Says through a smile and clenched teeth as she pushes Yukyra's stroller through the grass to get to the food tables. "The women are staring at you!" She waves to a group of people that Zuko doesn't know. He resists the urge to exhale steam.

"Can you not play match maker today? Isn't today supposed to be a family day?"

"Yeah but it's also a day for you to get out and mingle."

Zuko sits the pot in an empty space on the table. He's come to the conclusion that it must be some type of cheese.

"Zuko!" A strong slap on the back makes him lurch forward a little bit but he catches himself. Hakoda is on side of him with a bottled beer in hand, wearing a blue t shirt and khaki shorts. Since Zuko and Katara's breakup Hakoda has treated him no differently, probably because he thinks there's still hope for the two.

"I almost thought you wouldn't make it." He says.

"Yue takes forever to paint her face on, plus Yukyra wouldn't stop whining until I got her ice cream. Has Sokka made it?"

Hakoda looks around a little. "He said he's on his way." Yue takes Yukyra out of the car seat and places her on her hip.

"Look at this. I can't believe she's letting me hold her this long." Yue marvels. "I bet she won't give a damn about me once her daddy shows up."

Another man, just as big as Hakoda and all the other men in the family approaches them. He too has navy blue eyes and dark brown hair, chiseled chin and strong jawline. He looks more like he belongs in an army.

"What a beaut, she favors both Kya and Yue." He says. "Come on little one- ahh!" He cries out a bit when he takes Yukyra from Yue and she pulls his hair beads. "I remember that Katara would do the same thing, feisty little beasts aren't they?" He chuckles.

Yue smiles. "Well, she certainly didn't get it from me."

"Zuko, this is my brother Tarloq. He's a general in the army." Hakoda introduces the two proudly. "Tarloq, this is Zuko."

"Nice you meet you boy." Tarloq shakes Zuko's hand tightly. "I've heard that you're general Iroh's nephew?"

"Yes sir."

"His grandfathers name is Azulon- I didn't really know what he did in the war though. It must've been something important." Yue adds, piling up a plate of food.

"Azulon?" Tarloq sounds as if name is familiar.

"Zuko comes from a famous war family. something like us." Hakoda responds.

Zuko sticks his hands into his jean pockets. "My uncle should be here any moment now. He's bringing drinks."

"I'd love to meet him, that's if my niece doesn't tear me apart first." Tarloq says. His voice is pretty deep, way deeper than Ozai's even.

"Where's Kane? Is she here?" Yue asks with a mouth full of food. "I'll need a drinking buddy, Toph isn't coming."

"Kane's only twenty, my daughter doesn't drink, you know that." Tarloq says.

"Yeah, uh huh." She isn't really too fond of Kane, but she's better than nothing.

"I think I heard my name being called." A woman says happily when she bounces up to the group. She's short with long, wavy black hair and bright grayish blue eyes. Her skin is a little lighter than the others. She smooths down her pink dress and tucks her hair behind her ear.

"Kane!" Yue hugs her with one arms and rocks her left to right. "I was hoping you'd come!"

"What better way to spend a Saturday than with family?" Kane says sarcastically. Zuko ignores her when he catches her eyeing him. How old is she? Eighteen or nineteen?

"Kane this is Zuko, he's a good friend of mine." Yue adds on with perk.

"It's nice to meet you Zuko." Kane says sweetly. "The games about to start soon. I bought some of those funnel cake things you like so much uncle Hakoda."

Hakoda's eyes light up. "Really? She's always been a sweetheart. Let's go catch some runs, Zuko, Tarloq." By runs Hakoda means baseball. Yue has somehow managed to disappear away from him, he knows she's done it on purpose so that he can walk to the ball game with Kane alone.

"Do you go to the university?" She asks. "You look a little familiar."

"No."

"Oh. I must've seen you at the gym then? Maybe downtown or uptown somewhere."

"Maybe."

She looks at him with annoyance, probably because he's giving her such short and rude answers. Zuko doesn't really care, after only fifteen minutes he leaves the miniature ball park. Lu Ten is so busy flirting with the women that he has on his arm down by the lake and Iroh is entertaining everyone with his war stories. Sokka is challenging people to slap boxing and Yue is off on the dance floor with Yukyra on her hip, dancing with Arnook.

He leans on the railing by the lake and watches the moon shine down on the water. He really isn't in the festive mood.

He can hear someone approaching him. He sighs, he really doesn't feel like being bothered. Hiding away from the party?" It's Kane. Then again, he was mean to her earlier. He probably should apologize.

But not tonight.

"I should be asking you the same thing."

She shrugs and smiles when she leans next to him. "I just needed a breather away from there. How long have you been knowing Yue and Sokka?"

"About a year and a half now."

"That's sound good. Sokka and I are-" she digs around in her pocket when she hears her phone beeping repeatedly in her pocket. She pulls it out and her eyes widen. "Oh wow. Do you know Katara? She's Hakoda's daughter, she got signed to this like major record company."

His mind goes blank for a minute. What could he say? He met her, he loved her, and then he let her go? "I've met her before."

"I've got this app on my phone that keeps me up to date with celebrities business- please don't think I'm weird- and it says here that her and her manager are officially together. But that's just tabloid talk it may not even be true."

"Maybe."

Zuko doesn't know what to think anymore. It could be true, but then again it may not be true. In his gut he knows there's a possibility. It's his fault if they are together. His mood sinks lower and lower by the second, along with a rising body temperature. He tries to see what Kane saw on her phone on his,

He does. He sees the two of them at an intimate restaurant on some island. With the others that she's been with she was only seen on the streets with them, nothing as romantic as this. Could it be true?

He hopes it isn't.

"I'm going to be here for a little while- the remaining semester really…" Kane starts slowly. "Im going to finish up my classes here. There's this poetry lounge that just opens up Monday on the avenue, would you… we can go together ?"

"No." He says a tad harsher than he expected he would. His phone still has the photo pulled up and he can't tear his eyes away from it.

He can feel the hurt and disappointment radiating off of her. She steps away a little. "Oh, um okay. Sorry." She says softly. "I'm going to head back to the party."

Yue's words echo out in his mind. He closes out the picture in his phone and tosses it in the water. "Kane." He stands straight and turns around.

"Yes?" She spins around to face him.

"I don't like poetry. But I do like the movies and and dinner."

Kane looks startled at first, but then it's replaced with a bright smile and shining eyes. "Dinner and a movie it is then."

It's raining again for the third time this week. He leans on the glass with one hand while the other is on his hip. It's four twenty in the morning, he should be asleep. But how can he sleep knowing that the woman he loves is wrapped up in another's mans arms? How can he sleep knowing that someone else is touching her, tasting her, loving her- doing everything that he did to her.

Next week is her birthday, which just happened to be Sokka's birthday as well. Both of them were born in July on the forth. He doubts he'll hear from her then, hell, he may never hear from her again.

And it's all his fault.

He should've been more careful.

His father should've been more careful.

Now he's paying a the ultimate price.

"Zuko." Her voice is heavy with drowsiness and she yawns on her way to him. She wraps her thin arms around him from behind. "I woke up and you weren't there." He turns around and she moves her hands up to his cheeks. She's wearing one of his old t shirts, nothing underneath, and her black hair is a mess. Why he chose to sleep with her he doesn't know, she was just convenient at the time. It didn't help that she was a virgin though.

"Go back to bed Kane." He tells her. He thought she would've left and went back to her house after they were done, but she stayed.

"Come on, come with me." She smiles, taking his hands. "Plus I'd like to learn some more from you…"

She's a submissive, she isn't dominant but it's still what he needs. He lets her lead him back into the bedroom and surrender to her wants and needs.

She's good, but she isn't great.

She's a woman, but she isn't her.

No one can ever replace Katara.

**.0.**

**And So we begin again! :)**

**Read and Review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Story Title**: I Won't Let You Go

**Author**: XxToToXx

**Full Summary: -SEQUAL TO I WONT GIVE UP- it's said that if you love something let it go, and If it comes back then that's how you know it's real. Nothing can destroy what's destined to be and true love can never be buried and forgotten. Will Katara and Zuko finally have a happy ending?**

**Two**

Sokka yawns for the third time this morning. Yue has them in the grocery store early shopping for food. He loves food he doesn't love waking up at six in the morning to go shopping for it. He's just here to be the bag boy and keep an eye on Yukyra anyway. He stares down at his daughter, she's asleep in the basket and still clutching onto her pink teddy bear. She looks exactly like Katara when she's asleep like this. His heart sinks a little, Sokka doesn't think that Yukyra will ever meet her aunt. He hasn't spoken to her in a little over six months now and it was so short. She sent their father a classic 1957 Cadillac, and she got Sokka an old school mustang for his birthday, something he's always wanted. But those are just material things.

Personally, Sokka isn't upset about Zuko breaking up with her. He did what he had to do, Sokka would've done the same thing if he were in his position. The situation is so complicated, but he hopes that Zuko finds a way to tell her.

Yue and Katara had a nasty argument a week after she left, now they aren't friends anymore even after Yue tried to smooth things over with her. They'll come around eventually, whenever Katara comes home.

Yue folds her list in half and examines some fruits in the stand. "What are we eating tonight Sokka?"

"Tv dinners? It's quick and easy."

"No, I want to cook something."

Sokka cringes. "You can't cook, Yue."

"I have a cookbook, I'm learning." She says slowly. "Maybe chicken…"

After an hour and a half, they're finally at the register with a buggy full of meets and vegetables.

"I forgot the strawberries." Yue tells Sokka over her shoulder. "Can you go back and get them?"

"Sure." He drawls tiredly. He pushes the basket up and gives Yukyra one last look before he heads back to the fruit section. He must've walked up and down the rows at least ten times before he finally found them again and there's only one box left. He reaches his hand out to get it at the same time as someone else is. Their hands momentarily brush before they both pull away. Sokka sees that it's a woman with short auburn hair, cocoa eyes and slightly tanned skin.

He can't believe his eyes. "Suki?" He hugs her, and she's just as surprised as he is. He hasn't seen her since the last time they… he releases her. He's married now, he has a child now.

"Yeah, it's me." She smiles uneasily. "I'm kind of the only one in the world as well."

"What are you doing here?"

"Making groceries." Suki gestures towards her basket. That was a dumb question, but that's not what he meant.

He clears his throat up. "I meant what are you doing in the city? I thought you were going to stay on the island." Ever since the incident Suki left to the islands, and she's said that she wouldn't ever return here. He goes on ahead and picks up the box of strawberries.

"I'm on summer vacation. It gets pretty boring living on an island that's surrounded by water." She shrugs. "So how's Katara?" There's something she's trying to hide, that's why she's keeping the conversation light the way she is. She doesn't want to get too deep with him again.

"She's fine. We don't talk that much anymore. I guess she's pretty busy now."

Suki's eyes dart down to his wedding ring and then back up to him before she switches them to the pineapples. "I didn't know you two got married."

"Uh, yeah. We did in May."

"Congratulations." Her tone is less than happy.

"Thank you."

It's awkward being in the same proximity as the woman you cheated with so many years ago.

"I should go. I still have some unpacking to do." She says in a hurry. She pulls her basket and begins to walk away.

Walk away from him for the third time.

"Suki."

She turns around. "Yeah?"

"Here, you keep them." He hands her the strawberries.

"Thanks. I'll… see you around?"

"Yeah, sure." He agrees. He watches her walk away and turn the corner before he goes back to the register.

"Where are the strawberries?" Yue asks as soon as she sees him.

"They didn't have anymore."

"I really wanted some too." Her shoulders slump and Sokka keeps quiet. He's made the decision that he can't love both of them, he can't have the both of them. But not he isn't too sure about his selection. When he looks down at his daughter though, all his doubts disappear.

Sokka bangs on Zuko's door later on that night when he knows he's made it home from work. He needed to get out of the house for a minute, there's things on his mind that he can't talk about with Yue. He bangs again, what is this guy doing? He raises his fist to hit on the glass again but the door opens and he puts his hand down. Sokka expects to see Zuko, not his cousin Kane wearing nothing but a flimsy t shirt.

"Hey cousin." She gives him a small wave

"Kane? What are you doing here?" Sokka gapes at her. can't be happening. The door extends more and Zuko appears- shirtless. He quickly puts two and two together. "Aw man."

"I'll let you two talk." Kane says shyly when Sokka enters the house and eyes her up and down. He does the same to Zuko. When Kane disappears up the stairs Sokka looks at Zuko expectantly.

"What?"

"Care to explain why she's in your house at eight o'clock with nothing but a t shirt on?"

"Because she spent the night, or three or four." Zuko responds after he's seated on the rounded couch. "I've lost count."

"Spent the- are you insane?" He whispers harshly. "Do you not realize that she's my cousin? That means that she's katara's cousin as well, which means which means this is going to blow up in your face!"

"If you haven't noticed your sister is obviously happy with her manager and whoever else she's with."

"You let her go! What did your expect her to do?"

"Like I said, she's happy. Why can't I be too? And I'm not saying I'm with Kane. I'm not."

"Yeah. There's nothing wrong with that but I'm pretty sure that she isn't fucking Lu Ten in her penthouse somewhere."

"Lu Ten and Katara don't have anything going on, last I checked they were friends."

"This is different, Katara hates Kane. Ever since they were little all they did was fight like cats and dogs. Kataras gonna think you're doing all this just to hurt her!"

Zuko thinks that true. Kane told him that she and Katara don't talk much but he never asked why. He doesn't think that she knows they were together, but who knows? Maybe she's just trying to get with him to make her jealous. If that's the case then Zuko doesn't want anything to do with her. He doesn't want to hurt Katara anymore than he already has.

"Exactly why don't They like each other?" Zuko asks him. Sokka shrugs with raised eyebrows. Zuko thinks he's lying. Katara tells him everything. "There has to be something behind it."

"You may wanna ask them about that. But for right now can't we just go get a beer or something? I need to vent."

"Vent?"

Sokka looks up at the ceiling when he hears the shower running. "It's complicated. Suki's back."

"Whose that?"

"She's kind of the girl I cheated on Yue with a couple of years back."

"Ouch."

"Tell me about it." Sokka sighs. Zuko goes upstairs to grab a shirt and pair of shoes, leaving Sokka behind to fiddle around with the decanter set. Kane is seated on his bed wrapped in a white towel and brushing out her hair. He ignores her and goes straight to his closet.

Kane leans on the closet doorframe. "I hope you don't mind I used some of that bath oil stuff in the pink bottle, I never knew Ba Sing Se such amazing bath stuff. Why do you have feminine products in your bathroom anyway?"

Because they were for Katara but she forgot them.

"Just in case." He lies and pulls on a shirt.

"Oh. You're leaving?"

"We're going out to get some drinks." He raises from tying his shoes. "You can stay… or go." It really doesn't matter to him.

"I'll be out of your hair as soon as I get dressed." She says with assurance. Zuko merely nods and leaves out the bedroom. Sokka follows him on out the door into his truck.

"What about Kane?" Sokka starts up the heavy engine and pulls on off.

"She's leaving."

"Exactly how long has this been going on?" He asks. "Is this stuff serious or is it just a fling?"

Zuko thinks back. "Since that Monday after the day at the park, which will make it a month now. I don't know. What if it is serious?"

"Well, firstly you'll be sleeping with your fiancée's cousin who she already doesn't like. That's going against some major girl code." It's the end of June, Katara was supposed to be back in the middle of last month really. That's what she told him a week after she left. But she still isn't here.

Sokka eyes him for a moment and then puts his eyes back on the road. "So you like her? Kane I mean."

"She's okay. She's funny, and smart, she's a nice person to talk to. Why am I even talking to you about this? Shouldn't this be awkward for you?"

"It's awkward because it's my baby sister and my cousin but that doesn't mean I don't wanna hear it."

"Yue wants me to move on and be with someone else. I think she was just saying that because she's mad."

"She told you that?"

"Yeah."

"She's crazy. What is it with these women?" Sokka grunts. "She's probably going to try and find a way to get back at her."

"Yue isn't like that is she?"

"You haven't seen Yue when she's mad." Sokka breathes. "You haven't seen any of these tribal women when they get mad. But back to the situation- are you two boyfriend and girlfriend now?"

"No, it's not like that- shit. I don't know." He replies back in frustration. "What do you think I should do?"

"You want my honest opinion?"

"Yes."

"I think you need a couple of rounds of beers."

**.0.**

"Well hello missy." Torlaq greets when she comes through the doors. Yue peeps around the corner from the kitchen to greet her.

"Hey daddy, everyone. It took me a while to find the place actually. Plus I came way from across town." Kane states. "This is a really beautiful house you have here Yue."

Yue comes into the living room wiping her hands on a dish towel. "Thank you, I did most of the decorating myself."

"Where did Sokka go to?" Hakoda asks from besides Arnook and Bato in the living room. They're looking over some files, having a few drinks while pondering over last weeks game. "I just saw him."

Kane kisses her father's cheek when she bounces into kitchen. "Oh, he and Zuko went to go and get some drinks."

"How do you know?" Yue asks.

"I was at Zuko's house when Sokka came by." She responds with a hair flip, then she wrinkles her nose. "What's the smell?"

The room goes quiet and Yue whips around with furrowed brows and an open mouth.

"Zuko?" Bato asks unsurely. "Now why…?" Instead of finishing his sentence he switches his eyes back to the large flat screen on the wall.

"You were with Zuko?" Hakoda questions. He doesn't sound too pleased to hear that. Torlaq scratches his chin in thought but remains silent,

"I think me and Kane need to have a little talk." Yue says sweetly as she takes her hand and pulls her out the front door.

Once outside Kane pulls her hand away and rubs it. Yue glares at her. "Just what do you think you're doing?" She crosses her arms over her chest.

"What do you mean?"

"What were you doing at Zuko's house Kane?"

"What do you think we were doing?" She smiles and laughs. "We're both adults."

"Okay, let me just fill you in. Katara and Zuko are broken up. It was messy and it was terrible, and I doubt that Zuko is over her in the tiniest bit. So-"

"- So I'm not supposed to be with him because I'm her cousin? Are you serious right now?"

She throws up her hands. "Yes! I'm very serious! Your family, family doesn't do that to family Kane."'

"He doesn't even talk about her. When I asked him if he knew her he basically said yes but he didn't say that they had a relationship." She purses her lips and throws her hands on her hips. "If they're so in love why is she off with her manager? Why isn't she here with him?"

"Oh, come on. Don't act like you care." Yue has known Kane long enough to know about all of her little tricks and schemes. She's quite the little devil, cleverly disguised as a sweet and innocent angel. She treats Kane with kindness but she keeps her at an arms length.

"Maybe I do care, I care about him. I see he's going through hell which shouldn't be happening. Guess whose going to make it all better? And besides, you were the one who wanted him to move on."

"I hope you're not thinking that he's going to love you like he loves her! This isn't a good idea Kane. Yes, I want him happy again and if he has to move on to do that then so be it. But I don't want him with you!" Yue exclaims.

"You know you're always taking up for her. You're still taking up for her even when she isn't around, aren't you two fighting?" Kane's eyes twinkle. "When's the last time you even spoke to her? Exactly. It's high schoolt all over again isn't it? So since she's off _whoring_, I'll be more than happy to keep Zuko happy. I've been doing a good job so far, a great job. That's what Zuko says."

Yue tenses. "When Katara comes back, _she is going to rip you to shreds_." Kane smiles. "I hope I be there to see it."

"Good, so until then I'll be tending to what she left behind. You know, hatefulness isn't really a good look on you." Kane laughs. "I have to tell my father about my date for Saturday, aren't you cooking something? It's burning smells like." Kane turns and goes back inside the house, leaving Yue fuming on the front porch.

She has to have a talk with Zuko about this.

**.0.**

Ming bursts into his office and slams the door. "That's it. I can't do it, I refuse to leave her here."

"What's wrong now?" Zuko starts up his computer and opens up his briefcase.

"She won't get it. She just can't get it! I've been training her for three days now and she just isn't catching on. Filing paperwork and answering phones, it's elementary. Where'd you even get her from?"

Ming is leaving the corporation soon, and since she doesn't want to leave Zuko empty handed she's been training the new secretary whose going to be taking her place.

Kane.

But the girl just isn't getting it. She said that she needed a job so Zuko helped her out, he's thinking that maybe now that's a bad idea.

"I sent her off to check the machines in the break room-" Ming goes over to the open the door that's being banged on. Lu Ten bursts in, nearly knocking Ming over.

"Did you see Azula?" He asks in a rush.

"No, why?"

"Because I need her to do me a favor. I can't find her anywhere and why…" Lu Ten puts emphasis on the word why. "Why are you getting a new secretary?"

Ming looks at him dryly. "Because I'm leaving. We told you that months ago."

"I don't recall."

"That's because you were too busy attending female sorority parties with Chan and Lee." Zuko mumbles.

"Oh, right." Lu Ten snaps his fingers. "You missed out on a lot. So whose this new girl?"

"She's Zuko's girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend." Zuko strains out. Ming has been on his case about that ever since she first saw Kane, she's always so suspicious about things. She's usually right but this time she's wrong- he and Kane aren't in a relationship. He's still hoping that Katara comes back.

"Yeah right." She scoffs. "I'm going to go make sure she hasn't screwed the machines up." Ming closes the door silently behind her when she leaves.

"This Kane girl, she's the one from the party?"

"Yes."

"Katara and Sokka's cousin?"

"Yes, Lu Ten. Why?"

He shrugs. "No reason. I just hope you aren't doing anything crazy."

"If sleeping with her is under the label of crazy, then yes."

"You didn't." Lu Ten freezes at the bar. "Pleas tell me you didn't."

"I wouldn't lie about this."

"I understand about you sleeping with women to fill some void- that's normal. But her cousin?"

"It just happened. It's not serious. Im just… waiting and hoping that she comes back. Hopefully she'll forgive me when she does. But then I saw how close her and Situ have gotten. They're together now so…" he throws his pen down on the desk.

"She's moved on but you still want to wait for her, even though you're waiting for something that's probably never going to happen." Lu Ten understands because he's been in his position before. "She may've moved on but you know she probably doesn't even love him. Hell, they may not even be together. You know the media twists things around."

"They looked like they were in love."

"Bullshit."

"I guess I just don't want to accept it." He can't accept that, but it's his fault. Maybe he should call her, text her- whatever. He needs to talk to her. He has to get to bottom of this, he needs to tell her why he did what he did.

"Hey." Sokka says when he opens the door and closes it swiftly behind him. He's in his work suit and he's clutching his phone in his hand, a worried expression on his face.

"What's with you?" Lu Ten looks him over. "Looks like you've just lost your best friend."

"Something like that. I spoke to Katara this morning. It was real short but I still talked to her."

Zuko jerks up in his seat. "What'd she say? Did she… where is she?"

"She didn't say. She just said that-" Sokka releases a shaky breath. "-She says that she's never coming back."

"Never coming back?" Lu Ten confirms.

Sokka shakes his head. "Never."

It's then that everything around Zuko falls apart and shatters.

**.0.**

**Read and Review**

**I know these first chapters are short, not even 5k but I know what I'm doing.**

**Lol, trust me. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Story Title**: I Won't Let You Go

**Author:** XxToToXx

**Full Summary: -SEQUAL TO I WONT GIVE UP- it's said that if you love something let it go, and If it comes back then that's how you know it's real. Nothing can destroy what's destined to be and true love can never be buried and forgotten. Will Katara and Zuko finally have a happy ending? **

**Three **

"She is such a little bitch."

"wow, you've really turned into a badass haven't you?" Toph remarks.

"She just makes me so cranky!" Yue dumps the freshly dried clothing onto the couch and plops down beside it. "I know how she is but I've always tried to be nice to her. I was only trying to say that what she's doing is going to cause problems."

"What exactly is she doing again?"

"Firstly, she's canoodling with Zuko- whose Her cousins ex fiancée- and she's sleeping with him! Deliberately! It's certain things that you shouldn't do, and she always goes and does them."

"Why'd they even break up?"

"It's really for Zuko to tell. I knows it's some big secret though. I tried to get it out of him and he said that he just wanted her away from here where she can be safe from the mess they made."

"What mess?" Toph asks as she gets up and stretches.

"I have no clue."

"They broke up, she moved on. Zuko should do the same."

Yue doesn't think twice about her words before she lets them out. "But not with Kane. She's nothing but trouble."

"I just wish she'd come back already. It's boring here without her."

"Yeah." Yue looks at their group photo on the coffee table. "I'm mad at her, but I miss her too."

**.0.**

It's June thirty first.

Everyday gets harder and harder for him.

It's been a week since he's heard the news that Katara isn't coming back. It's been a week of being locked up in the house, not eating, not sleeping, not working, not doing anything but staring into the fire in the fire place. He's been ignoring everyone's calls, he isn't in the mood to speak to anyone.

_She's moved on. _

She's moved on and she's never coming back.

In the foyer he can hear the door handle jiggle and the keys clank against the door. Ursa and Iroh are the only two people with house keys. Katara had one… he won't get his hopes up.

Ursa strolls into the living room, clutching her purse strap on her shoulder. "Zuko? What are you doing here?" It is Ursa. "You were supposed to meet us at the restaurant at seven, it's ten now."

"She's not coming back."

"Katara?" She questions. "Of course she's coming back."

"She's not. She said that she isn't."

"Why not?"

"Because she hates me." He says, eyes trained on the fire. "She hates what I did to her."

Ursa pulls him away from the fire and wraps him in a motherly "She could never hate you honey. She loves you. You should tell her why you did it Zuko, you have to tell her why. She'll understand."

"No she won't. I had a choice and I picked the wrong one. The lawyers, the council, the media, they would've ate her alive. It would've ruined her career. I had to make her leave."

Zuko knows she saying that because she still has hope that he and Katara will work this out and get back together one day, just so they could give her grandchildren. She really was fond of Katara, she didn't want her to leave either.

"That's understandable."

"She loves me and I love her, but she's there and I'm here. I should've went with her or she should've stayed." He pulls back and throws a ball of fire into the chimney out of frustration. it explodes upon contact.

"You were doing it to protect her. We couldn't have her branded by this, she's an up and rising artist in her prime." Ursa says softly. "You did the right thing."

Zuko's jaw clenched. "Yeah, I've done that and she's gotten someone else." To know that she isn't coming back is one thing, but knowing that she's with Situ makes things harder for him to deal with. He feels betrayed, hurt, angry, depressed, and confused all at once. Ursa watches him with a calm expression but troubled eyes. He picks up a photo of them on the mantle. Katara is smiling and laughing at the camera one day day at the zoo.

Now she's doing that with someone else.

"You let her go for her own good Zuko, sometimes if you love things you have to let them go. If they come back then that means you've been blessed with true love." Ursa removes her scarf. "If she loves you she'll be back."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I left your father once." She says sadly. "You don't remember it because we never told you. It was the summer you went off to bending camp for three months. He thought his work was more important than his family- I wanted to have a fun family and a social life, I wanted more than to be a trophy wife. We would barely se each other, but every time we did it was always a verbal fight."

"If you left, why'd you go back?"

"Because I loved him more then I loved fighting. Some things just aren't worth breaking relationships for. I knew I'd go back, I knew he'd call or something. That's what two people in love do."

Zuko returns his eyes back to the fire. "I haven't spoken to Katara since the day she left."

"Because she's hurt Zuko."

"Is that really an excuse?"

"Yes, it is. I told you, if she loves you she'll be back. Trust me."

"What do I do until then?"

"Live. Don't miss out on something just because you're missing something else. That isn't healthy Zuko, believe me."

But Zuko knows that she isn't coming back. Why would she? He tore her heart out and chopped it up, something that she'd just recovered from. She wants him to let her go, she's already let him go. She's moved on, she's happy with who she's with.

He's hurt, he's hurt just like she is. Sure, he's used some women to try and ease the pain but it only gets worse every time. He's never really thought having another relationship. If it isn't with her, he doesn't want it. But maybe… he grips the picture frame in his hands until the glass starts the crack and break and his blood stains the surface.

"I have to let her go." He says. He doesn't know if she can hear him or not, but he hears a loud sigh behind him.

"Don't do that Zuko." Ursa places a hand on his shoulder. "Think about this. I don't want you to keep drinking yourself into oblivion but I don't want you to do this either."

"I have to." After one final glance at the photo, after one final pang in his heart he tosses the photo of them into the fire.

But how can he let her go when everything reminds him of her?

**.0.**

"I don't even want a party." Sokka shrug as he spins around in his chair. "My birthday twin isn't even here to rock out with me."

Since he's spoken to Katara and she's told him that she's never coming back he's been walking under a gloomy grey cloud.

Aang twirls around a globe on his hands. "Don't you think it's weird?"

"What?"

"Why won't she ever come back? It's just strange to me."

"Probably because her boyfriend broke her heart and she doesn't want to be around him ever again." He stops the chair. "Maybe it is a good idea, seeing as though her own blood and flesh is going in on her ex fiancée."

"It just doesn't sound like Katara. Katara wouldn't run away from her problems like that, she would face them." Aang says in deep thought. "I think something's wrong."

"She sounded okay when I spoke to her."

"She's good at hiding her emotions, you know that."

"Eh."

Sokka sees Hahn coming through the glass walls of his office and grabs his badge and wallet off of the table. "Let's go buddy." Hahn says, nodding in acknowledgment to Aang.

"Where are we going?"

"Triple homicide at the Zen Kei estate."

"Triple?" Aang blurts out. "Three people were killed?"

"Oh boy! It's about time, my first kill!" Sokka jumps into the air.

Aang looks at Sokka and then at Hahn. "And you're excited about this? You have to see dead bodies!"

"It's better than sitting behind a desk doing endless paperwork."

As Aang goes down the elevator with Hahn and Sokka he still can't shake the feeling that something's going on with his best friend.

**.0.**

Zuko stares down into the frothy macchiato that's in a green cup in front of him on the table. He looks back up at Kane, whose stirring cream into her drink. "Exactly why does she hate you?"

"It's Katara, does she really need a reason?"

"She doesn't go around hating people for no reason. You kind of have to piss her off, I know her enough to know that."

Kane rests her arms down on the table and cocks her head to the side. A frown is plastered on her face and her eyes are flared up. Zuko now realizes just how much she looks like Katara. "How about we quit playing the hundred questions game. Even if I would've told you what good would it have done?" She rips open a sugar packet and pours it down into her cup before she takes a long drink from it. He watches her amusing animated expressions- why'd he even invite her to come to lunch with him? Was it really because he wanted to probe her information?

"Trust me, you don't want to know." She says once she's sat her cup down. "So that's the reason you asked me here, because you wanted to know about her."

"Of course not."

"I see right through you." She shakes her head. "Why do you keep holding on to the past, especially when deep down you know she's gone and she isn't coming back?"

"If you've ever been in love you would know that it's not exactly that easy to let go of someone." Zuko let her go, but at the same time he still hasn't let her go. It must take time. That's what it is. He's never been in something like this before.

"I've been in love." She drawls out as she crosses her long legs. "I've been in love probably a hundred times over now."

"And so why aren't you with any of them?"

She looks offended. "Why aren't you with Katara?"

He stares at her and she stares back, a victorious smile on her heart shaped face. Zuko doesn't have a comment for that.

She looks away and out the window at the pedestrians on the "The entire world knows she's moved on- but yet you're here sulking and trying to act like it's not happening."

"I'm not sulking."

"Oh please."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"I know plenty."

"Do tell."

Her head snaps back to him. "I know that if it were me I wouldn't have left. If I really loved someone like I hear she loved you, I would not have left. I think love is more important than singing in front of millions of people."

It's quiet again. She gathers her things. "I'm going to head back to the office." And just like that she's gone. As he's watching her storm out the door someone drops down into the seat. It's Yue, in all her immaculate glory.

Zuko sighs. She's the last person that he wants to see today. "To what do I owe this pleasurable surprise?"

"We need to talk about that." She says. "And we're going to talk about it now."

"Talk about what?"

"Kane." She wrinkles her nose.

"What about her?"

"What do you mean what about her? Are you two sleeping together?" She demands. "Don't lie to me because I can tell."

"Is this a trick question?" He almost laughs.

"Oh, just answer it."

"She's just my secretary-"

"-Oh my God." Yue's mouth opens in horror and her eyes widen in disbelief. "Oh my God…"

"What?"

She leans across the table and examines his face, shes a little too close. "You're sleeping with her aren't you? You're so screwing your secretary!" Her outburst causes them to get stares in the cafe, a passing waitress gives him a dirty look.

"How can you even tell that?"

"I'm a mother, I'm a wife, and I've always had a sixth sense." She says calmly. "Newsflash, Kane doesn't care about anyone but herself, please don't plan on taking it further than fuck buddies."

"She isn't a bad person to me. I've been being around her everyday."

"You know how this goes. You won't see ugly side to them right away."

Zuko motions for the waitress to give him the check and Yue keeps her hawk eyes on him. He fidgets under her stare. "Kane isn't in my romantic life, Yue. I know you're just being a good friend but you've just entered my sex life."

"I'm only warning you. I know you've been in your little man world since you know Katara isn't coming back but I still want you to be careful. Don't be reckless Zuko." Yue says in a low tone. "Be happy, but don't be reckless."

"I'm not."

She smiles. "Good. So she's just a rebound or something? Which is wrong by the way. Im not too good on Kane but that's wrong to do to any female."

"She's not a rebound."

"Then what is she?"

"Just think of her as medicine, Yue."

"Yeah, medicine can be addicting and bad for you to."

"I know what I'm doing."

She looks like she's about to say to something else but she stops herself and fiddles with her wedding ring. No one will ever be able to forget Yue and Sokka's wedding. She was a total bridezilla. She was taking with tantrums, crying, complaining, breaking down, and having panic attacks. Now Zuko remembers how she called Katara over and over and she wouldn't answer or call her back. That made things worse. Zuko was s groomsman and he was placed with Sokka, who was also having a nervous breakdown but he was getting cold feet and was a flight risk.

Yue has been a great friend to him and has been here for all of his problems, he's going to be a great friend back and be there for her. "What's with you? You look like you've lost your favorite eyeshadow or something."

Instead of coming up with a sarcastic comment and laughing it off she looks at him with serious eyes. "Has something been going on with Sokka?"

"No why?"

"He's been acting strange lately."

"It's Sokka we're talking about, when is he ever normal?"

"But something's going on. He's been coming home late, one night he didn't come home at all. He's quieter, he's not eating that much anymore. When I ask him what's wrong he just brushes it off."

Zuko momentarily freezes.

"Zuko, do you know something?" She asks.

"I don't know anything." He lies. "He's probably just tired."

"You think so?" There's hope in her voice. Zuko had the same hope when he thought that Katara was going to come back to him.

Look how that turned out.

He adverts his eyes down to his untouched drink. "I know so. If it makes you feel better I'll talk to him."

"Thanks Zuko."

_If I ain't got nothing_

_I got you_

_If I ain't got something (I don't give a damn)_

_'Cause I got it with you_

_I don't know much about algebra (but I know)_

_One plus one equals two_

_And it's me and you_

_That's all we'll have when the world is through ('cause baby)_

_We ain't got nothing without love_

_Darling you got enough for the both of us (so come on baby)_

_Make love to me_

_When my days look low_

_Pull me in close and don't let me go_

_Make love to me_

_So when the world's at war_

_Let our love will heal us all (right now baby)_

_Make love to me (me, me, me, me) oh, oh_

_Make love to me_

_Hey, I don't know much about guns but I_

_I've been shot by you (hey)_

_And I don't know when I'm gon' die but I hope_

_That I'm gon' die by you (hey)_

_And I don't know much about fighting but I_

_I know I will fight for you (hey)_

_And just when I ball up my fist I realize_

_I'm laying right next to you baby_

_We ain't got nothing but love_

_And darling you got enough for the both of us_

_Make love to me_

_When my days look low_

_Pull me in close and don't let me go_

_Make love to me_

_So when the world's at war_

_Let our love will heal us all (help me let down my guard)_

_Make love to me (me, me, me, me) oh, oh_

_Make love to me (me, me, me, me)_

Zuko doesn't even know who she's talking about anymore. He doesn't even know why he's listening to this torture. Yes, this torture. He's supposed to be getting ready for work, not leaning on his bathroom staring at himself in the mirror as he plays his exes music over and over again.

They were right. This isn't healthy.

Last night he thought she'd come back to him. She slipped into his bed and wrapped him in her arms and told him that everything was going to be alright. But it wasn't her, it was Kane. She said that he was having a bad dream, but it wasn't bad for Zuko.

If anything it's just made things worse.

He turns off the radio and starts up the shower. When he goes into the pantry he glances at his phone. If he called her would she answer? She called Sokka. She still has the same number, would she answer from him? The bathroom has started to fog up from the hot water, but he can still see. He reaches for his phone and goes to her contact.

A photo of them pops up. He tries not to look at it for too long. He moves down to her number and presses the telephone icon.

It rings once.

It rings twice.

Three times and then four. He's going to hang up.

"Hello?"

Shes _answered_! "Katara?" What else can he say? He hasn't heard her voice in so long, how he's missed it. Just the sound of her voice, the sound of her light breathing on the other end of the line makes everything better.

"Zuko." Her voice goes flat, cold. "Is something wrong?"

"I… when are you-" he clears his throat. "When are you coming back?" I want you, I miss you, I need you.…

"I'm not coming back Zuko. I know Sokka has probably already told you that."

"Why not? Why won't you come back?"

"It doesn't matter, Zuko. Goodbye."

"No." He says strongly. "Don't you dare hang up this phone." She sighs, doesn't she feel anything? Right now it doesn't sound like she does. "Why won't you come back Katara?"

It's a while before she answers again, he has to check the phone to make sure she's still on.

"It's complicated."

"How is it complicated Katara? What's stopping you from coming home to your family and friends?" To me.

"Because I can't love you anymore, that's why."

"What? That's not an excuse Katara."

"Just forget about me, like you told me to forget about you."

The words sting a little, he deserves that after what he did to her. "You don't want that Katara."

"I do."

"If I forget you, if I move on from you, if I never ever think about you again, it would kill you like it's killing me now." There's talking in the background. It's Situ, something about breakfast and time.

"I've had things happen to me in this past year that should've killed me, I'll be fine. Not you you care."

"Talk with sense, Katara."

"I am. I can't love you anymore Zuko. I can't think about you, I can't be around you, I can't want you anymore." She says lowly into the receiver. "I had to let you go Zuko, for my own health."

His eyes close and his hand burns into the marble countertop. Every time she pushed him he can't help but push back even harder. "if you want to be stubborn, then be stubborn. You really want me to let you go?"

"Do it." She challenges him. "Have at it."

His blazing eyes open. "Fine, then I'll let you go and I'll forget you."

"Good."

"Good."

She doesn't say anything after that. She just hangs up the phone and Zuko throws his into the wall. He doesn't care that it breaks upon impact.

It's broken just like the rest of his life. Now, he refuses to fix either.

**.0.**

Yue scowls as soon when she opens her front door and sees Kane standing there. "If you're looking for some puppies to drown you won't find any here." She tries to slam the door in her face but a big hand stops her. It doesn't surprise her that it's Zuko, well it does a little bit. He told her about Katara the other day but she didn't think he would actually keep on with Kane.

"Can you put them away tonight Yue?" He asks in exasperation and pulls Kane along in the house with him. "It's Sokka's birthday."

She's quiet for a moment and then she perks up. She doesn't say anything but she gives Kane a look like clearly says she'll be watching her tonight. She spins away and jets off upstairs. It's the Fourth of July, so they're all going to concert in the city's square. They haven't announced who it would be, it's probably just some locals.

"Whose the chick?" Toph asks from the couch. She turns to the two and her face twists into a mischievous smile. "Oh. You must be Kane."

Kane looks at Zuko, he shrugs and nods. Toph is so unpredictable, but it looks like she's attempting to be kind and civilized tonight. Kane steps over to Toph, long hair flowing behind her.

"We haven't officially met properly. I'm Kane." She holds her hand out for her to shake.

"You're Kane, my best friend's cousin whose currently-"

"-Stop it Toph." Zuko inputs. Kane leans back on her heels and stares at Toph dismissively.

Sokka is dragged down the stairs by Yue. "Hey everyone." He says, stuffing his hands into his jeans. Yue adjusts his black v necked t shirt and puts his watch on his wrist. He really isn't in the mood to go, he and Katara always celebrate their birthdays together.

"I like Levi's. I should've worn some so that we could match." Yue comments when she adjusts her short red dress and black leather blazer. Zuko doesn't think that she has any regular shoes, every time he sees her she's in heels.

"Where's Yukyra?" Zuko asks.

"She's with my father tonight." Yue answers. "Maybe she'll stay the whole weekend. Aang is going to meet us there too."

Sokka frowns. "She's not staying the entire weekend."

"Why not?"

"Because i don't even want her gone from me an entire day, lessing on two days."

"Can we just go? I want to get to this concert and get food and those drinks that come in the tall glass thing."

Sokka doesn't say anything else. He gets his keys off the stand in the foyer and leaves out the door. Zuko goes out after him.

"Okay. All females ride with me." Yue says clearly. "Including you Kane, unless you want to go with Zuko."

"It's fine. I can ride with you." She says. There's a little disappointment in her voice. Toph sighs as they walk out the door and get into the vehicles.

_If I don't see you real soon I might go insane_

_I know it's only been 3 hours But I love it when you call my name _

_I heard a voice on the news saying People want to stop the war _

_If they were as sweet as you They'd forget what they're fighting for _

_What's the matter with the world today? Home of the free, somebody lied _

_They can have my phone _

_They come around my home _

_They only see you and me making love_

_I love you so much_

_I can't wait to wrap my arms around you _

_And feel your touch_

Zuko reaches over and cuts off the radio. That's the last thing that he wants to here.

"That was amazing." Sokka whistles. "I knew she could sing but i didn't know she could sing like that. I wish she was here."

"It's your birthday, I understand that. But can we not speak about her?"

"Oh, I forgot. I won't mention her around you."

"Thank you." Zuko says.

"Yeah. It'll get better buddy."

"I hope so."

**.0.**

The city square is packed. There's a huge stage that are lined with color changing lights, it's long and wide, with another long part at the front that mimics a catwalk. Yue is at the end of the row, Sokka is to her right and then it's Zuko, Kane and then Toph and Aang whose more focused on their food. Sokka isn't eating anything but a slushy, which clearly lets everyone knows that something's wrong. Zuko knows, but he won't dare speak it.

So far the performances have been nothing but covers, unsigned artists covering other people's songs. There's a finale performance that has everyone on the edge of their seats, and then after that it would be over. Every now and then a slew of fire crackers would go off In the distance and make Kane nearly jump out of her skin.

"It's cold out here." Kane tells Zuko. She runs her hands up and down her bare arms. "I didn't know it would be this cold." Zuko responds by putting his arm around her shoulders, Kane leans into him and Yue scoffs. Even over the loud music he could still hear her. Zuko looks down and then back up when her arm stretches across his middle and She lays her head on his chest. He isn't uncomfortable, he's fine in fact.

The next and final performance is children, children dressed in black suits and dresses with bright blue bow ties and hair ribbons. The sound great, singing to little to no beat and all.

_Do you ever feel like a plastic bag, _

_Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?_

_Do you ever feel, feel so paper-thin_

_Like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?_

_Do you ever feel already buried deep?_

_Six feet under screams, but no one seems to hear a thing_

_Do you know that there's still a chance for you?_

_'Cause there's a spark in you_

_You just gotta ignite the light, and let it shine_

_Just own the night like the Fourth of July_

Zuko's head shoots up to the stage. They aren't singing alone, he looks at Sokka. He must not have noticed yet. He could've sworn… no. It was just the emcee doing what he's paid to do. He relaxes back in his seat but he can't shake this 's going on, he can feel it.

_'Cause baby, you're a firework_

_Come on, show 'em what you're worth_

_Make 'em go "oh, oh, oh!"_

_As you shoot across the sky-y-y_

He sits up again. It's perfectly clear this time! He knows it isn't the Dj! He searches the stage, the voice is getting more powerful and the children are fading away into the back and to the left…

To left comes a woman on stage. Her hair is long and straight past her waist, her mocha skin glows in the lights and the mic that she's wielding sparkles and shines. She's wearing a black and blue mesh short romper that absolutely clings to her skin, it show off her long, caramel legs. The high heels she's wearing go as high as her ankle and look to be at least six inches high.

It's _Katara. _

His breath hitches in his throat while the crowd behind him goes completely mad. He knew that he heard her voice, he thought it was just the music. Heidn't think that she would be here!

_Baby, you're a firework_

_Come on, let your colors burst_

_Make 'em go "oh, oh, oh!", _

_You're gonna leave 'em falling down oh oh_

Sokka jumps up out of his seat. "It's Katara! That's my sister! That's my sister!" He held out to everyone, jumping up and down. The lights on the stage change from blue, to red, to purple, to yellow and then to green and the music gets louder and louder when blue flames erupt behind the stage and shoot up to the sky.

_You don't have to feel like a waste of space_

_You're original, cannot be replaced_

_If you only knew what the future holds_

_After a hurricane, comes a rainbow_

The whole city has missed her, plus they didn't know she would be here. Is that why she told everyone she wouldn't come back? Did she just want to make some big entrance?

_Maybe the reason why all the doors are closed_

_So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road_

_Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow_

_And when it's time you know_

Zuko slumps in his seat and watches her, Kane doesn't move. Instead she just watches the other woman owning the stage, the entire concert, the city.

_You just gotta ignite the light, and let it shine_

_Just own the night like the Fourth of July_

_'Cause baby, you're a firework_

_Come on, show 'em what you're worth_

_Make 'em go "oh, oh, oh!"_

_As you shoot across the sky-y-y_

_Baby, you're a firework_

_Come on, let your colors burst_

_Make 'em go "oh, oh, oh!"_

_You're gonna leave 'em falling down oh oh_

She doesn't look at them, well, not in their area of the seats. When she walks the catwalk she's shined upon by the bright spotlight that she's always wanted, touching her fans hands as she passes them. How they love her.

_Boom, boom, boom_

_Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon_

_It's always been inside of you, you, you_

_And now it's time you let it through-ooh-ooh_

_'Cause baby, you're a firework_

_Come on, show 'em what you're worth_

_Make 'em go "oh, oh, oh!"_

_As you shoot across the sky-y-y_

She's smiling; she's happy, hyped up, and living out her life just fine obviously. The more that Zuko stares that's the more he feels a coiling in his stomach.

_Baby, you're a firework_

_Come on, let your colors burst_

_Make 'em go "oh, oh, oh!"_

_You're gonna leave 'em all in awe awe awe_

_Boom, boom, boom_

_Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon_

_Boom, boom, boom_

_Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon _

When the music stops she's standing at the end of the platform, hand on her hip and mic poised in front of her smiling face and breathing a little heavily. Sokka is calling to her but she can't hear him over all the cheering, and security won't let him through to the stage.

Zuk doesn't know what's going on behind him or to his right, he only sees what's to his left. He can't take his eyes away.

"I missed this." Katara tells them, her voice echoes everywhere. The crowd cheers. "I missed this city!" Can they scream any louder? "Did you miss me?" She asks. Her voice is so strong and powerful, there's no tiredness in it. She smiles brighter when she hears their response. The fans blow her hair out around her, she doesn't try to tame it.

She walks out further and to the left. She's closer to him now but she won't look down. "Today is July fourth, this is the same time and day, that i was 's my birthday! But you know, I have a birthday twin. So tonight, he's getting a part of this too!"

She crouches down and extends her hand out to Sokka, Zuko thinks she's known he was there the entire time. Not once did she look at Zuko…

Sokka jumps onto the stage with her and they share a heart warming brotherly sisterly moment that makes the crowd gush. A big Golden and blue chair is bought in by men wearing black suits with blue ties and they sit Sokka down in it with a birthday crown and some long pole like thing. More people come out, all dancers as the music starts again.

_I heard you're feeling nothing's going right_

_Why don't you let me stop by_

_The clock is ticking, running out of time_

_So we should party, all night_

_So cover your eyes, I have a surprise_

_I hope you got a healthy appetite_

_If you wanna dance, if you want it all_

_You know that I'm the girl that you should call_

_Boy when you're with me_

_I'll give you a taste_

_Make it like your birthday everyday_

_I know you like it sweet_

_So you can have your cake_

_Give you something good to celebrate_

_So make a wish_

_I'll make it like your birthday everyday_

_I'll be your gift_

_Give you something good to celebrate_

_Pop your Perignon_

_We can get it on_

_So hot and heavy_

_Till dawn_

_I got you spinning_

_Like a disco ball_

_I'll have them playing_

_Your song_

_We're living the life_

_We're doing it right_

_You're never gonna be unsatisfied_

_If you wanna dance_

_If you want it all_

_You know I'm the girl that you should call_

_But when you're with me_

_I'll give you a taste_

_Make it like your birthday everyday_

_I know you like it sweet_

_So you can have your cake_

_Give you something good to celebrate_

_So make a wish_

_I'll make it like your birthday everyday_

_I'll be your gift_

_Give you something good to celebrate_

_Happy birthday_

_So let me get you in your birthday suit_

_It's time to bring out the big balloons_

_So let me get you in your birthday suit_

_It's time to bring out the big, big, big, big, big, big balloons_

_Boy when you're with me_

_I'll give you a taste_

_Make it like your birthday everyday_

_I know you like it sweet_

_So you can have your cake_

_Give you something good to celebrate_

_Boy when you're with me_

_I'll give you a taste_

_Make it like your birthday everyday_

_I know you like it sweet_

_So you can have your cake_

_Give you something good to celebrate_

_So make a wish_

_I'll make it like your birthday everyday_

_I'll be your gift_

_Give you something good to celebrate_

_Happy birthday_

A million balloons and confetti burst out from the poles around the event, all sparkly and reading happy birthday. Toph and Aang force their way on stage to join the rest of the party. Katara and Yue hug, and then hug again, they're back friends again Zuko guesses.

But when they pull apart, gold and cobalt eyes lock in the midst of all the celebration. Confusion, anger, and frustration fill her orbs in less than five seconds. His heart skips when she gets down from the stage with the help of the security. Then Zuko realizes That her eyes aren't on him.

They're on his chest, where Kane is still lying comfortably.

**.0.**

**Songs Used: Beyonce 1+1**

**Morgan James: Call My name **

**Katy Perry: Fire Work**

**Katy Perry: Birthday**

**Read and review **

**Question: What do you think could've happened between Katara and Kane?**

**Do you think Zuko was wrong for letting Katara go? **

**Exactly Why did he make her leave that night?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Story Title:** I Won't Let You Go

**Author**: XxToToXx

**Full Summary: -SEQUAL TO I WONT GIVE UP- it's said that if you love something let it go, and If it comes back then that's how you know it's real. Nothing can destroy what's destined to be and true love can never be buried and forgotten. Will Katara and Zuko finally have a happy ending?**

**Four**

Kane states out the window at the passing buildings and lights. "Well that was a bit shabby, doesn't she have like millions? She could've had a better security team." She pats her hands on her thighs to the beat of the music.

Zuko grips the steering wheel. "What did you do to her Kane?"

"What are you talking about now?"

"I'm asking you what you did to her."

"I didn't do her anything." She protests. "Have you ever stopped to think that maybe it's the other way around?"

"Well, she tried to attack you. Someone did something." When Katara got down from the stage she went straight to Kane with intentions on causing bodily harm to other woman.

"She tried to, it didn't work. It should be the end of the discussion. Unless you want to vent out your emotions about how fucked up you are that she's back."

"I'm fine."

She scoffs.

"I'm fine." He says again. Deep down Zuko knows that he isn't fine.

"Katara and I, even Yue, all three of us have done things in our pasts. Like I said, you don't want to know."

"the more you say that that's the more I want to know."

"I just want to go to sleep."

"You will."

Luckily that shuts her up for the duration of the ride. He tries to focus on the road and keep the happenings from tonight out of his mind, but he can't stop from thinking about it.

"Katara is just mad because I had and have everything that she's ever wanted. Not to mention that she blames me for her mothers death, something that I had nothing to do with by the way." She starts. "Ever since we were younger she never wanted to see me happy, she would do anything in her power to make my life miserable."

"But why?"

"Because she's jealous. It's as simple as that. If you ask her why she doesn't like me she'll just say that she doesn't trust me. Typical Katara."

Zuko doesn't say anything after that.

**.0.**

Situ eyes her face, and then her hands. "Are you sure you're alright?" It doesn't look like she's hurt in anyway, but it did take half a dozen of security guards to pull her away from the scene. Situ thought that it wouldn't be a good idea to return to the city after what happened to her, but she didn't want to miss her brother's birthday.

"I'm fine." She says lowly. "For the hundredth time I'm fine." She sinks deeper into the tub until the bubbles and water cover her she and closes her eyes.

"Yeah, on the outside."

"I'm fine on both."

"That's what your mouth says."

She ignores him, opens her eyes and stares at the white speckled granite wall that's in front of her. He gathers her hair up for her and puts it into a high tucked ponytail at the top of her head.

"Are you hungry?"

She nods.

"Did you want chicken or pork?"

She hasn't eaten since last night and it's just now starting to eat away at her. Situ turns on the heater for her and the water heats up and bubbles. "Both."

"You'll be okay by yourself?"

She nods. "Just hurry back."

"I will."

When she's sure he's gone she releases a sigh and sits up a little. Everything wasn't good when she performed, but it was okay. It was okay until she saw how Kane was wrapped around Zuko, and he wasn't trying to move her. She doesn't know what happened after that, she just lost it. She's been doing that a lot these days. And Zuko…

He probably hates her now.

He probably doesn't have anything to say to her anymore. She saw that when he chose Kane over her, how he'd shielded her.

Why is Kane here, what is she trying to do this time? She sinks back in the tub and stares up at the ceiling. What she did, what happened to her all those months ago- she can't tell Zuko. He'd be disappointed in her, he'll never want to see her again, he'll hate her more than he already does now. She let him down about something that he really wanted. She can't face him, she just can't. Every time she looks at him she sees them- she'll never get over how close she was.

She wanted them.

That's why she can't love him anymore, if she keeps on loving him it'll just make her and him hurt even more. She doesn't want to let him go, but she has to for both of their sakes. But no matter how much she says that she can't love him anymore she knows that she'll always love him no matter what. He'll never forgive her, she knows he won't.

They'll never let each other go, no matter how much they deny it.

Katara knows he's seen the tabloids, watched the talk shows and everything else. He probably thinks that her and Situ are an item, they aren't. The media always twists things around. Situ has been there for her through the most traumatic time in her life, he has been there from the time she stepped foot on that plane to the time she signed the certificate and watched them be wrapped up and carried away.

He's been keeping her sane, taking care of her and defending her from the vultures of this world. She doesn't know what she do without him now. That's why she hasn't talked to any of her friends and family, she couldn't. She just didn't have the strength to. They sleep together, in the same bed that is. they go out together and have fun but it's never more than that.

It's been eleven months since that night at the hospital though. It still feels like it was yesterday.

She gets out of the tub and dries off with one of the soft towels. Since she doesn't exactly have anywhere to live anymore she's going to be staying with Situ, or she may just go back to her father's house. She changes into a college t shirt and shorts and wraps her hair around her head. She reaches into her bag for a head scarf and her hand runs across something cold and hard. She pulls it out, it's her engagement ring. She never got rid of it, why would she? She doesn't even want to give it back.

Situ comes back a little while later with food, hot food, a real home cooked meal. She's began to eat all of her food and then some now. Situ isn't hungry, he's more focused on getting his stuff unpacked.

"I think I've been a burden on you enough, tomorrow I'll go and get somewhere else to live." He looks at her for a brief moment but doesn't say anything. She throws away her food and washes her hands. "You don't want me to go."

"Of course I do." He says sarcastically. She helps him with his clothes. She's learned a lot about Situ over time, he likes to cover up what he's feeling a lot with sarcasm and jokes.

"I know there's probably a one in a billion chance that I have to be with you." He starts. "There's some universe paranormal crap that's probably going to keep us apart, but I'll still love you- be here for you need me."

"I know, thank you." He smiles down at her response.

Sometimes when they sleep together they'd wake up the next morning cuddled up together, wrapped in each others arms. But it's three in the morning and she's been lulled from her sleep by the vibrating of her phone on the nightstand. She rolls over and drupes her arm around Situ's naked back. It's probably not even important, it _is_ just a text message. The reminder keeps beeping and beeping though, it forces her to reach over and check. She has to blink her eyes to adjust them against the bright lighting of the screen.

She thinks she's just seeing things and hallucinating when she opens it. It's from Zuko.

_I still love you._

The next morning she's at Yue's house holding her very hyperactive niece, Yukyra. She wanted katara to hold her as soon as she she stepped through the front door, she was giving Yue the blues. She's just come from purchasing a house on the other side of the city, it's fully furnished so she doesn't have to worry about buying anything except food.

Yue watches her bounce Yukyra "What were you doing all of that time? We thought you'd be back but then Zuko said that you wouldn't be returning." Her eyes soften. "Is it because of Kane?"

"Just how close are they? Is it… serious?" She asks. Kane and Zuko are two different people from two different sides of the track. Katara doesn't know what Kane is up to, but she's going to make it her business to find out. She hopes they aren't together and it's not just because of the fact that Kane is her cousin. She gets another text message, it's from Zuko.

I need to see you

She locks the screen back and sticks the phone back in her pocket. No, she can't see him. Not now, not like this, not after what she did.

"I doubt that, she's supposed to only be there to help him get over you. Some stuff about easing his pain."

"Pain?"

"Zuko was messed up when you were gone. We had a lot on our hands here, when I say a lot I mean a lot. To make things worse you stopped calling, we didn't hear from you or anything. You missed out on a lot. The wedding, the reception, my child's birth, you know? The average best friend stuff."

"I'm sorry." What else can she say?

"Just what were you doing? We missed you."

Katara stands with Yukyra on her hip. "It's really a long story." She hands the baby to her sister in law and smiles sadly. "I don't think I can tell you that Yue. I don't think I can tell anyone about that."

"We're friends. We're best friends." Yue grasps her hands and holds them tight after she puts Yukyra in her playpen. "We can talk about anything Katara, you know that."

"I'm sorry Yue. I just can't do that."

"Katara." Yue's sincere and hopeful eyes bore into hers. Katara eventually gives in, she's been hiding enough. Yue knows everything but Katara knows that she won't tell a soul.

She has her undivided attention now. Where should she start though? Two hours and a hundred tears later Yue sits across from her with red, pain filled, and swollen eyes. It happened to Katara, but if a stranger saw the two they would think that it was Yue who something had happened to but it wasn't.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone. Not Sokka, not Hakoda, not anyone."

"But Katara-"

"Promise me!" She presses. "Promise me that you won't tell anyone, promise me you won't tell Zuko."

"But they're his-"

"-I want to tell him myself one day."

She doesn't look pleased with her answer, but she merely nods in agreement. "I promise I won't tell."

"Thank you." She sits back down on the sofa and gives Toby the rest of her attention.

**.0.**

"Well this is nice." Azula says smartly. "Very nice… not to mention interesting."

Zuko barely resists the groan that tries to emerge from his throat. "Shut up, Azula."

"So Kane. I understand that you're a student at BSSU?" Ursa begins. "What's your major?"

"I'm currently studying architecture." She says a little proudly. "It's what I've always wanted to do."

"Well that's nice dear."

Azula smirks. "Isn't Katara a doctor?" Mako grabs her hand under the dining room table, a gesture to get her to watch her words. She removes her hand and looks at Kane appraisingly. "I heard that she gave a jaw dropping performance for Independence Day."

"Katara's back? Zuko, why didn't you say anything?" Ursa mildly chastises him. He only sighs. He should've known that this wouldn't work out.

Mako perks up a little. "You mean Katara Khalan? The singer, Katara Khalan?"

"That's exactly who we're talking about." Azula answers.

Lu Ten taps his fork on his wine glass. "Does anyone want the last piece of cake-"

Azula continues. "-That's not all mother, is it ZuZu?"

"Shut up Azula."

"These crab cakes are divine, Mrs. Agni." Kane says. "You're an excellent chef."

Ursa only smiles. She doesn't exactly know what's going on between the girl and her son, she doesn't really know who she is either. Azula isn't making tonight any better, she's only making it a hundred times worse.

"There must be something about the Khalan women." Azula's smirk widens. "Kane is Katara's cousin."

"Well." Lu Ten throws down his napkin. "It was a nice dinner, Ursa."

"What?" Ursa cuts her eyes at him. "Zuko!"

Zuko slams down his utensils and glares at A satisfied Azula. Kane, on the other hand, doesn't look offended at all.

"First cousins at that, mother."

"Zuko, of all the messed up things you've done in your life, this has got to be the stupidest! Just wait until your father hears about this- no, wait until Azulon hears about this! If Sozin were here, he would be so disappointed!"

"Alright!" Zuko shouts at them, startling Kane. "Me and Katara aren't together! I think I have the right to bring whoever I want to to dinner!"

"But that's wrong ZuZu."

"Your entire life is wrong, Azula." He remarks and takes Kane's hand to pull her from the table. "Let's go."

Ursa follows the two out of the house, calling her sons name and trying to stop him but he doesn't listen. He's had just about enough. He pulls off in a hurry, wanting to get as far away from there as possible. He can understand Azula kicking up dust, but his mother? She'd never been so mad before.

Once Katara became a part of his life, once she got aquatinted with his family- she will always be a part of it somehow. Tonight was an example, even if he tried to he'd never be able to get rid of her from his mind.

**.0.**

_We both know that it's over_

_And the daylight is finding us soon_

_Still I wait for some honesty between us_

_To help us get out of this room_

_And of all the things that you said to me_

_There's still one thing that I'm missing_

_No more long goodbyes, don't apologize_

_Open the pages where I've been erased_

_Don't make me guess by the look on your face_

_Open your heart, just let me see_

_There ain't no place for me_

_Won't you say the words?_

_I'm so tired of your tenderness_

_And your willingness to ignore the mess you made_

_Can't you stop, look me in the eyes, it ain't no surprise_

_Just tell me what I need to hear_

_And of all the things that you said to me_

_There's still one thing that I'm missing_

_No more long goodbyes, don't apologize_

_Open the pages where I've been erased_

_Don't make me guess by the look on your face_

_Open your heart, just let me see_

_There ain't no place for me_

_Won't you say the words that a man would say?_

_Won't you tell me you don't love me and just let me walk away_

_Since I fell for you, I've been falling apart_

_So tell me in the end what you knew from the start_

_Open the pages where I've been erased_

_Don't make me guess by the look on your face_

_Open your heart, just let me see_

_There ain't no place for me_

_Won't you say the words?_

_Won't you say the words?_

_Won't you tell me?_

_Won't you say the words?_

_Won't you say the words?_

"You like that one Toby? I do." Katara ruffles his eyes. He barks and wags his tail. She dumps her clothes into the washer and then the detergent. She hears the doorbell after she cuts out the light in the washroom, it's one in the morning and it's pouring down raining. So just who could that be?

She scolds herself when she's unlocking the front door, she didn't look outside to see who it was. When she opens it she's face to face with a pair of golden eyes.

_Zuko._

His hair and clothes are soaked and he looks like he's been having a bad day. What does he want though? He shouldn't be here. She extends the door open for him anyway. He walks in and she closes and locks it behind him.

She's not courteous enough to bend the water from him. So she just takes him in. It's been so long. "How did you find my house?"

"Yue kind of told me."

"That's all she told you?"

"Was there supposed to be something else?"

"What do want?" She sits on the edge of the sofa. "Did you come to gloat or something."

"I came to talk to you- can you just get this water off of me?"

"No." She scoffs. He frowns. "You can warm up in the shower… if you want to. The bathroom is down the hall to the left." He watches her a moment longer before he follows her directions. She gets up to go and fetch him some towels from the closet. Katara doesn't know what he wants to talk about, but she's got a hunch that it's about why she told him she can't love him anymore. She sighs and holds the towels to her chest.

When she makes it to the bathroom she pushes the door open soundlessly. The hot water has caused steam to fill the room, it gives it an erotic atmosphere. Zuko has his back turned her and her eyes automatically roam over the smooth skin. He's been working out more, he's got more packed on his lean body now. When he turns and sees her his frustrated expression turns calm. She hands him the towels snd leaves out before she can stare any longer.

When he comes out he's in nothing but a towel.

Katara keeps her eyes on the clock and scratches Toby's ears. Zuko knows what he's doing.

"Why did you say you weren't coming back?"

"Because I didn't want to, I've told you this already." She says dryly.

"But you came back after all, was it really for Sokka's birthday?" He sits down besides her and there's nowhere for her to move to. Toby is stretched across her lap and her back is against the arm of the couch.

"Of course it was." She lies. It's not the truth but he doesn't know that.

"Quit lying Katara." He holds her hand. The warmth of it is nostalgic, but she yanks it away and Toby jumps down. At least now she can get up and away from him. As soon as she stands Zuko follows suit and grabs her forearms.

He shakes her a little. "You have to tell me. You didn't call or anything for a whole year-"

"-What did we have to talk about? You broke up with me! Why would i want to talk to you?"

He grits his teeth and releases her arms. "It's because-"

"-Shouldn't you be somewhere with Kane?" Katara reminds him. "Are you two a couple or something?"

"You're crazy." He frowns. "She said you were always jealous of her, for some unknown reason."

What did he just say? "You're both crazy. You know what? I don't care. You can leave now if you're done."

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what happened!"

"And I'm not telling you anything. So just stop it."

It's quiet in the room again, she sits back down with her head in her hands. Zuko watches her, expecting her to say something else but she doesn't.

"You've changed. I don't know exactly what it is but you've changed." He states. She's still quiet. "What happened to you Katara? Was it Situ?"

"No."

"Then what?"

When she removed her hands her eyes and hands are both soaked with tears. The pain in her eyes makes his heart twist. She switches her eyes down to the antique coffee. "Became I couldn't face you that's why."

"Why couldn't you?"

"The night before I left I found out was two months pregnant."

His body stiffens. If she was pregnant then that means… "Y-You had a miscarriage?"

"No. I carried them full term."

"Them?" He swallows.

Her voice is strainer and low. "Twins."

"Twins?" She shakes her head. "Where are they Katara?"

She doesn't answer.

He kneels in front of her and makes her look at him. "Where are they Katara? Where are my children?" His eyes are wild, his hands are squeezing her face and keeping it in one spot so that she can't look away. This is why she didn't tell him, this is why she didn't want to come back. She didn't want to have to face him.

He shakes her rather roughy. "Katara!"

"I- I… I carried them, and I birthed them and then…" More tears fall from her eyes and into his hands.

"And then what? What happened?" He demands. "What happened Katara!"

"They died during birth." She chokes. "They were both stillborn and they came out _dead_."

For the first time in a long time, heavy tears fall from Zuko's eyes.

**.0.**

**I kind of cried at the end.**

**I didn't really like this chapter. It wasn't long enough.**

**I think Kane's lying. -_-**

**Read and Review**

**Also, did you want the Rise from the Ashes SEQUAL or did you all want an entirely new Zutara fanfic? I'm letting you all decide! Let me know by MONDAY! I think I might just do something new. Idkyet**


	5. Chapter 5

**Story Title:** I Won't Let You Go

**Author:** XxToToXx

**Full Summary: -SEQUAL TO I WONT GIVE UP- it's said that if you love something let it go, and If it comes back then that's how you know it's real. Nothing can destroy what's destined to be and true love can never be buried and forgotten. Will Katara and Zuko finally have a happy ending?**

**Five**

"You were pregnant and you didn't tell me. You went into labor and you didn't tell me. You went nine months without a single word about it. You didn't tell anyone, not even me! Why would you do that Katara? Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I was scared."

"That doesn't give you the right to keep something like this from me! What were you scared of? Were you scared that id find out or were you scared of how I'd react?" He's been shouting and throwing things for over an hour now, cursing and emitting smoke from his nostrils and fists. And she can't be mad at him because he's right. She should've said something. She could've and should've handled the situation differently. Now every time she looks at him she sees them- her two daughters with his inky black hair and honey eyes, her caramel skin.

His eyes bore into her back. How could do this? How could she do this to him? If he would've known that she was pregnant he never would've let her get on that plane. He never would've let her left him. She's crying, she's been crying nonstop but his tears have dried because he's more mad then anything. He had children that he didn't even know about because she wouldn't tell him. Zuko never got to even hold them, he never even got to see them. He's fully dressed now, leaning back against the wall in frustration, anger, and confusion.

"The reason I pushed you away to leave the city was because I had to. The business bureau found flaws in some of Agni corp's business transactions. Money was extorted and laundered. They tried to take down everyone- Azula, Azulon, Ozai, Iroh, even Ursa and Lu Ten, and me as well. They were after you, they were going to crush you. The media, news reporters, tabloids and everything else would've hounded you like a dog because of your affiliation with us. To stop them from doing that I had to make you leave without me."

"That was really a good reason for you to break my heart? Just because some people wanted to question me?"

"It's better than giving birth to my children and not telling me a damned thing about it."

She bites her lip but she doesn't say anything.

"I still can't believe you did this. You didn't trust me enough for this?" He shakes his head. "How can I even trust you?"

"I deserve that. I didn't mean to run you away, to make you upset like this and to hurt you." She whispers "I never wanted you to feel bad."

"Well." He opens the front door. "It's too late for that." He walks out and slams the door behind him.

**.0.**

"You knew didn't you?" He asks, staring down at the drink in his glass. "You've known all this time."

"About which part?"

"All of it."

"I didn't know she was pregnant until I saw her…" Situ trails off and shakes off Zuko's suspicious glare. "She made me swear that I wouldn't tell anyone. We went to great lengths to keep it away from the public- looser clothing, less routines and things like that."

"So you went to the hospital?"

He slowly nods. "I did. I saw them."

"How did they…"

"They're were beautiful." He replies. "I'm sorry."

Zuko continues to stare into the drink. "Yeah. Me too."

It's been a week since Zuko last talked to Katara, a week since he'd last seen her, a week since he learned about his dead children. He wants to talk to her but right now he just can't. He's still trying to process everything and he doesn't think he'll ever get over it. Now they all know, Sokka and her father, Aang, Toph and Yue. Probably even Kane.

"Personally I was thinking about no moving in with you." Kane says highly. "Are you sure this is okay?" She closes the closet door and pins her hair at the back of her head. Zuko doesn't try to look at her

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"For one your family doesn't like me too much. How's Katara doing?"

He catches himself from saying the wrong thing. "I haven't spoken to her."

"I feel bad for her." She says softly. "I can't even begin to imagine what she's feeling- what you're feeling." Kane puts a hand on his shoulder. "I'm here if you want to talk Zuko."

"Thank you." He finishes tying his tie and watches her expression through the mirror. Does she really feel sorry for them? It looks like she does, when she found it out she began crying about it. Maybe she is telling the truth, maybe Katara really is jealous of her.

"I sent her some flowers and things. She should receive them in a few days." She says. "I want her to know that I'm still here for her even though she hates me."

Katara being jealous is a possibility, but in the back of his mind Zuko doesn't think it's true. Who knows? Maybe it is.

He tries not to dwell on it at work. When he's in the meeting with the other old vultures he thinks about everything else but Katara, anything else but Katara.

In search of wisdom and inner peace he seeks out the one person that can help him through anything.

Iroh.

As soon as Zuko steps through the honey tea shop Iroh instantly knows that something is wrong. Iroh stares at him in silence and patience as he awaits for him to make his move on the Pai Sho board.

"She was pregnant and she didn't tell me. She didn't tell anyone anything, not even when they died." He grunts. "I don't think I can trust her again. She shouldn't have kept me out of the loop with something like that. How could she do that to me?"

"You cannot hate her for that Zuko. She was a mother who lost her children, she's been through enough pain and suffering already. What she needs now is you."

"I can't."

"She can't get through this alone Zuko. A woman never truly gets over losing her child. Now is not the time for you two to be at odds, now is when she needs you the most."

"I just can't."

"She can't go through this alone, Zuko." Iroh says softly. "If you keep pushing and pushing her away one day she'll-"

"I just can't!" He slams the piece down onto the board. "I can't!"

"You can't what Zuko?" Iroh continues. "You can't what? Say it."

"I can't deal with the fact that my children are dead!" He slumps back in his seat in depression.

"Now you've faced the reality."

"But she lied, she lied to me."

"You have to place yourself in Katara's shoes. She's never endured anything like this before."

"She has, she was pregnant before but she lost it before the term was up."

Iroh frowns deeply. "Oh, the poor child. Everything happens for a reason Zuko- you'll have to realize this one day."

"I hope to, but it doesn't look like I will anytime soon." He'll never be able to get over this pain.

Later that night Zuko and Kane along with Yue and Sokka are at Hakoda's house for dinner. Yue is managing to be polite to Kane, and Kane is behaving respectably and courteous. Zuko thought that it would be a bad idea for them to go, but Yue insisted. The conversation is light and common, it's mostly about Yukyra and Sokka's work. Yue has decided to go back to college for a bachelors in sociology.

Katara isn't here, no ones been talking to her. She's probably busy as always, or she just didn't want to come because she knew that Zuko would be here.

"I'll go get it." Sokka says when doorbell rings. He gets up and disappears out of the dining room.

"That should be Aang and Toph. They're supposed to be bringing the desert." Yue tells them. "Hopefully it's cake."

The front door slams and Sokka cries out. Zuko and Hakoda stand from their chairs in alert just as Katara comes speeding into the room, and everything happens so fast after that. Her blue eyes are ablaze with rage, Zuko's never seen her this upset before.

She moves with lightening speed at Kane, whose only smiling in amusement. "You patronizing bitch!"

Everything happens so fast after that. Katara's right hand comes crashing down against Kane's cheek. The blow of it echoes throughout the entire house and her face instantly turns red. Apparently Kane is a little faster than her and tackles the other woman to the floor before a punch can land on her.

"Katara! Kane!" Hakoda hollers out at them while Yue looks on. "You two stop that right now!" Zuko wants to stop it, but then again he doesn't. Maybe this is what they need to settle their differences, even if it is pretty violent.

Zuko nudges Yue. "Aren't you going to help?"

"Are you crazy?" She gestures down to her dress. "This is Valentino."

They need to stop but they don't. Zuko thinks that this moment is way past due. The rolling, punching, slapping, curses and threats still go on until Katara finally gains dominance and throws her fist across Kane's face, and then another and another before Kane grabs her by her hand and slings her off off her. Why are these women so strong? A slap, a grab, a pinch and then another shove and a series of punches.

Yue covers her mouth in shock and horror. "This is madness. I've never seen them fight like this before."

By now Sokka is back and he tries to break the two up. Hakoda helps him, prying Kane's fingers out of his daughters hair and manhandling Kane into the living room. Though Katara doesn't want to stop, and she doesn't have any intentions on ever stopping because she's trying her best to get out of Sokka's grasp.

She scratches, bites, kicks and screams. "Let me go! I'll kill her! I'll kill her!"

"What happened Katara?" Yue asks. "What did she do?" Instead of answering Katara slams down a small piece of paper on the table. Zuko is the first to pick it up and read it.

I'm sorry for your loss, better luck next time. Third times a charm

Love, Kane

Oh. Zuko crumbles the paper up and tosses it away. So it was patronizing, Zuko read between the lines. Katara jerks out of her brothers grip and adjusts her clothing.

"That's who you want?" She breathes heavily. "You really want someone like that? She doesn't care about me or anyone else, the only person she cares about is Kane!"

"That's not true, Katara." Zuko tells her. She looks surprised at his words when they come out of his mouth. He's surprised too, that isn't what he meant to say.

"Fine." She fixes her jacket. "Do whatever you want to then. I don't care." She storms back out the house and slams the door behind her.

Zuko sighs. How much worse is this going to get before it gets better.

**.0.**

_Say something, I'm giving up on you_

_I'll be the one, if you want me to_

_Anywhere, I would've followed you_

_Say something, I'm giving up on you_

_And I am feeling so small_

_It was over my head_

_I know nothing at all_

_And I will stumble and fall_

_I'm still learning to love_

_Just starting to crawl_

_Say something, I'm giving up on you_

_I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you_

_Anywhere, I would've followed you_

_Say something, I'm giving up on you_

_And I will swallow my pride_

_You're the one that I love_

_And I'm saying goodbye_

_Say something, I'm giving up on you_

_And I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you_

_And anywhere, I would've followed you_

_Say something, I'm giving up on you_

_Say something, I'm giving up on you_

_Say something_

_All along it was a fever_

_A cold sweat hot-headed believer_

_I threw my hands in the air I said show me something_

_He said, if you dare come a little closer_

_Round and around and around and around we go_

_Ohhh now tell me now tell me now tell me now you know_

_Not really sure how to feel about it_

_Something in the way you move_

_Makes me feel like I can't live without you_

_It takes me all the way_

_I want you to stay_

_It's not much of a life you're living_

_It's not just something you take, it's given_

_Round and around and around and around we go_

_Ohhh now tell me now tell me now tell me now you know_

_Not really sure how to feel about it_

_Something in the way you move_

_Makes me feel like I can't live without you_

_It takes me all the way_

_I want you to stay_

_Ohhh the reason I hold on_

_Ohhh cause I need this hole gone_

_Funny you're the broken one but I'm the only one who needed saving_

_Cause when you never see the lights it's hard to know which one of us is caving_

_Not really sure how to feel about it_

_Something in the way you move_

_Makes me feel like I can't live without you_

_It takes me all the way_

_I want you to stay, stay_

_I want you to stay, ohh_

"That was good." Katara tries to sound motivated. "Want to do one last one?"

The band agrees and Katara goes through the book that her and Situ compiled together. She doesn't see when Zuko appears behind the glass and begins talking to situ until she starts in on a new song.

_Something told me it was over_

_When I saw you and her talkin'_

_Something deep down in my soul said, 'Cry, girl'_

_When I saw you and that girl walkin' out_

_Whoo, I would rather, I would rather go blind, boy_

_Than to see you walk away from me, child, no_

_Whoo, so you see, I love you so much_

_That I don't wanna watch you leave me, baby_

_Most of all, I just don't, I just don't wanna be free, no_

_Whoo, whoo, I was just, I was just, I was just_

_Sittin here thinkin', of your kiss and your warm embrace, yeah_

_When the reflection in the glass that I held to my lips now, baby_

_Revealed the tears that was on my face, yeah_

_Whoo and baby, baby, I'd rather, I'd rather be blind, boy_

_Than to see you walk away, see you walk away from me, yeah_

_Whoo, baby, baby, baby, I'd rather be blind boy_

_[Fade out:] Baby, baby, baby..._

By the end when she sees him coming through the door towards her she takes the other exit door out into the hallway and makes her way to the balcony. It's warm today, a little too warm and too bright for her liking. She wishes it would rain, she wishes that it turn cloudy and grey. She definitely isn't in the mood for all this sunshine.

"What do you want?" She asks. She heard the door open and close behind her and she knows that it isn't Situ who followed her out here.

"I came to apologize."

"For what?"

"For that night about the twins. I'm sorry about Kane, I didn't know she'd do something like that."

"Where's she now? Let me guess, she's probably ripping the streets apart in your Porsche."

"I don't let her drive any of my cars." He looks disgusted. "I was wrong for the things I said. I took it a little far and I should've stayed with you that night."

"Just stop it Zuko." She turns back to the railing and leans on it. "I don't want to talk about that."

"Situ told me that they were beautiful."

"Stop it."

"I don't hate you for that Katara. It wasn't your fault." He puts a hand on her shoulder. "Come here." Zuko pulls her into her chest and wraps his arms tightly around her. It's something that he hasn't done in a long time. She still feels soft against him and she still smells sweet. He closes his eyes and buries his face in her neck.

"I wanted them, Zuko."

"I know you did. I did too." He doesn't pull away from her even when Situ comes for her, he'll never let her go again

**.0.**

"I did blame Kane for my mother dying but that was only because Kane was the reason that she was out that late at night. I got over that, and I'm not jealous of her. The reason that we don't see eye to eye is because when we were growing up, me being one of the few girls in my family and being the only one who could really sing and dance, I got a lot of attention. Kim's father was always busy and she never knew her mother. That caused a lot of problems."

"So she wanted what had? A real family?" Zuko looks back down at the death certificate in his hands.

Katara nods. "Everything I've ever had she wanted it. My parents, Sokka, Jet, and now you."

"We aren't together."

"But she lives with you."

"Doesn't mean we're a couple though."

She shifts under her covers. "Right. She doesn't like me because she thinks my life is perfect when it isn't. Every time I see her she just disturbs my soul. She doesn't care about anyone- Kane only looks out for Kane."

"She said her, Yue and you have done some things before. She said they were bad."

"Kane lied. She always lies, we didn't do anything. We just meddled around like typical high schoolers. You like her song you?"

"Define like."

"As a lover, a girlfriend."

"I don't see her that way."

"But you slept with her?"

"I did." He swallows. Her eyes narrow a little.

"How many times?"

"A couple." He admits. He looks back down so he won't have to see her expression "What about you and Situ?"

"We never did anything." She says. "It's the truth."

"I believe you." He stands and hands her back the ultrasound photos and the certificate. She doesn't look at them when she takes them out of his hand and he sits besides her on the bed without saying another word. He stares down at the carpeted floor. Besides Katara there's other things that he has to worry about right now.

She watches him a while longer before she tugs on his sleeve to pull him down on her. "I want you to stay tonight."

"I can't."

Obviously that's the wrong answer because she shoves him away and lays with her back to him. He tries to shake her to get her attention but she swats his hand away.

"Katara."

_"Go away." _

"Quit being stubborn."

"I'm not being stubborn I just want you to leave me alone."

"If I left you alone you'd be even more mad." He turns her over by her shoulder and her stare is full if something that he can't quite make out. He leans down and presses his lips over hers. When her hands tangle in his hair and pull him closer to her. He's missed this. He's missed her, her smile, her laugh, her taste, her body. She twists her legs around him to lock him in top of her.

He pulls back when her hands go under his shirt. "I'll come back later, alright?"

"Oh." She removed her hands. "Kane."

"It's not Kane, Katara."

"Then what is it?"

"I can't tell you that yet."

"Goodnight, Zuko." She rolls over again. "Turn my light off when you leave too."

Seeing that there won't be any getting through to her tonight Zuko leaves, and just to make her mad he leaves her bedroom light on.

"Thank you." Kane smiles gracefully as she takes her drink from the bartender. When she turns around she butts heads with an agitated Katara. She stands there with her hands on her hips and a permanent frown.

"Hey cousin." Kane takes a sip from her fruity drink and smiles.

"Why did you tell Zuko that lie about me Kane?" Katara asks. "I didn't do you anything! I've only been trying to be nice to you over these years, just what are you trying to prove?"

"Nothing! I like Zuko if that's what this is about. So what's the big deal?"

"Zuko and me are- were- engaged! How low are you going to go? Just when are you going to stop all of this?"

"So where's you ring?" Kane asks as she examines Katara's finger. "I don't see it on. Just because you can sing, dance, bend magic water and a few initials behind your name that doesn't mean that you're the only one who can be happy."

"Quit being a jealous brat. I don't know what you're planning, I don't know what you think you're going to do here but you need to leave Zuko alone."

"You're confused, the feeling is mutual. So mutual that he wanted me to move in with him. I'd be a fool to pass up that offer." Kane sighs in bliss. "That big house, those fine cars, the money. You had everything but you just threw it all away didn't you?"

Move in with him? What? What Kane said is kind of true but then again it isn't. She still doesn't know what's really going on between her and Zuko, it's not even her business. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

"I know enough. Looks like you've lost this time, 'Tara."

"I don't lose, even win I do lose I still win."

"Yeah, looks like you lost this time." Kane sucks in a breath. "Too bad. You're a day late and a dollar short."

"I will end you if you keep this up." Katara responds lowly. "I can make you lose everything."

"Well do it then Katara." Kane laughs it off. "If you don't mind I'd like to get back to my booth and enjoy my drink." She brushes past her and disappears into the crowd.

"I cannot believe you!" She screeches at him. "She's living in my house? Sleeping in my bed? Using my bath things? How disrespectful is that Zuko?"

"We were broken up Katara, what did you expect? When I first met her I didn't know you two were related! But then the tabloids said that you were moving on with your manager and so that's what I did. I tried to move on too!"

"She is living in your house!" She bangs on his desk. "My house! That's my house Zuko! Those are my things!"

"I'll handle it, Katara."

She raises up. "If you don't handle it soon, I will." With that she dashes out of the room, Zuko isn't the only person on her list today.

**.0.**

**Songs: Rhianna- Stay**

**A Great Big World- Say Something**

**Beyonce- I'd rather go blind**

**Read and Review **

**Sorry my chapters are kind of short now. **

**I'll make up for it in the next chapter**


	6. Chapter 6

**Story Title**: I Won't Let You go

**Author**: XxToToXx

**Full summary:-SEQUAL TO I WONT GIVE UP- it's said that if you love something let it go, and If it comes back then that's how you know it's real. Nothing can destroy what's destined to be and true love can never be buried and forgotten. Will Katara and Zuko finally have a happy ending?**

**Six**

"Don't mind me." Katara says as she slams the front door behind her. "I just came to get the rest of my things from this... Dump." It's been a month since she's been here, the last time she was here just to talk and it led on to something else. Walking further inside she sees Zuko leaned on the fire place and staring into the fire. She doesn't know if he's heard her or not and frankly she doesn't care. She goes straight upstairs to the bedroom to get her belongings. Kane isn't here, maybe Zuko already put her out. Good. Katara takes all her clothes and shoes and other items and stuffs them into a suitcase that she found in the back of the closet.

She jerks a pair of pants from the hanger but she tugs too hard and the hanger ends up breaking. When she licks them up a piece of paper falls out of the pocket. She doesn't mind it at first because she's too busy checking to make sure that the pants are hers. They aren't, she's far from a size three. They have to be for Kane. She balls them up and tosses them at the top of the closet before picking up and opening the small white piece of paper.

She squints at it. "What is this?" There are three names written elegantly in the center of the paper, Ozai, Zuko, and Lu Ten. Why are there amounts by their names? Big amounts too, billions. Why would Kane be writing something like this? Unless…

She plans on stealing their money!

That's what she's trying to do! Note in hand, she runs back downstairs to Zuko. He needs to know about this before it's too late. He's still in the same spot and it looks like he hasn't moved an inch

"Zuko, I found this paper in the closet when I was packing. It's got your name on it along with Ozai and Lu Ten. There's these amounts of money next-"

"- I don't care."

She looks over the note and then back at him again. "What do you mean you don't care? She can probably wipe all of you clean!"

"I don't care about her or the money Katara." His voice is so distant and cold. She steps closer to him, but not too close. He's right by fire and she doesn't want him to lose his temper and probably burn her.

"What's the matter?" She turns him around by his shoulder. His facial expression is pained and the frown appears to be getting longer and longer by the second. "what's wrong?"

"Azulon died this Morning." He tells her. "He's gone, Katara."

"I'm sorry. How did he go?" It comes as a shock to her, she liked Azulon.

"Cancer."

She nods in understanding. "I have somewhere to be. You probably want to grieve alone. So I'll go and finish packing-oh!" He moves with lightening speed and crushes her against his body. His arms are wrapped tightly around her waist and his head is on her shoulder. She's about to pull away until she feels the hot tears running down her shoulder to her chest.

"Don't leave me." His hands grip onto her shirt. Katara manages to raise her hands to his chest to push him back a little. He doesn't budge. "Stay."

"You want me to stay?"

"I need you to stay."

"Then I'll stay." Right now he's more important than some meeting.

"We could try again."

"This was your second miscarriage Katar-"

"-it wasn't a miscarriage because I carried them full term."

"But still." He sighs. "I don't think I can take that happening again Katara. I'm still not over the last."

"Remember when we had that fight down at the pier?" She changes the subject. She doesn't want to talk about what happened, and she definitely doesn't want to talk about trying it again.

He flows on with her conversation. "You tried to drown me because you're a sore loser."

"No, no." She stops him. "You were cheating that night because you purposely flirted with that girl to get those bears."

"Only because you were stopping the water from coming out of the gun."

"Oh." She forgot about that part. "Just go to sleep Zuko."

He pulls her body on top of his and locks his arms around her. She couldn't move away even if she wanted to. He signs into her hair she closed her eyes when his hands slip under her shirt and caress the smooth skin on her back. His lethargic movements set her body on fire and make her want more. But she can't, not yet at least.

"Zuko." He doesn't stop his slow assault on her neck when she says his name.

He unbuttons her shirt and slides it off of her shoulders, the cold air in the room tickles her bare skin. "Just one." Zuko says into her lips, He leads her hands on down to the zipper of his pants and makes her take him out. He pulsates in her hand and she has second thoughts. She hasn't done anything since she had the twins, she doesn't even know if she's really even able to do that without being in any pain. But the way he's looking at her and the warmth of his touch she thinks it's worth the risk.

She's been having to slip him some sleeping pills to put him out, he refuses to go to sleep a lot now. She's been here for days helping him cope with the loss of Azulon. To pass time she tidies up the house and that's something that looks like it hasn't been done in a while. He never hired a maid, maybe she should. It's still unnerving to know that Kane was living here- with him- enjoying her house like it was her own.

Tramp.

A couple of days has passed now. He should be alright until she goes to the grocery store for something to cook. Before she leaves she changes the security codes so Kane won't be able to get back in.

That'll show her.

The grocery store is hell. So many children begging their parents for things and running up and down the aisles, the elderly people are even going crazy. It's just Saturday! When she pushes her basket down the aisle looking for rice she accidentally bumps into someone.

It's the person that she thought she'd never see again.

Mai.

She looks…she actually looks good! And she's glowing! Her hair is down and her eyes are shining. She's never seen her like this before. She's so alive, she used to be dull and gloomy. Katara's eyes shift down to the front of the basket where a child is staring at her curiously. It's-he- has bright green eyes and jet black hair.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes." The other woman's voice is still cold and dull but she can tell there's a little more to it. Perhaps the child has has changed her perspective on life.

The last time she saw Mai she was a bloody mess, this is a very awkward meeting.

"You had the baby." Katara starts. "Uh… he's cute. His eyes are adorable. I'm sorry about the last time we saw each other."

"I don't want your apology, Katara. If anyone should be apologizing its me."

"What?"

"Are you actually that dense?"

"I'm lost here." She moves her basket to the side to let a woman pass and Mai's eyes never leave Katara. "What are you talking about?"

"About the children… the twins." She whispers the last part. Katara momentarily freezes.

"How did you know about that?"

"Who doesn't know about that? You're all over the press." She gestures behind her to a magazine stand. Peering around Mai Katara sees that she's on the front page, and the topic?

Successful music artist Katara Khalan gives birth to stillborns! Whose the father? The billionaire business mogul Zuko Agni? Or her charming manager Situ Hung?

"Which idiotic bastard did this?" She throws the magazines at the publisher of the magazine, the man falls back out of his chair in surprise. She's forced her way into the building and up to the publishers office, not caring that the security guards are most likely going to catch up with her. She stomps her foot. "Well?"

"W-what are you talking about? I was just doing my job!" He's short and bald with a long white mustache. Katara watches him pull himself up from the floor using the wooden desk, waiting for him to continue his explanation.

She jabs her finger down at the magazine cover. "You take this off! I want these out of the publics hands."

"I can't do that! They've already been released!"

"How'd you even get this?" The man doesn't answer. She bangs her hand on the table. "Tell me!"

"That's confidential information. We can't tell anyone how we get our scoops!"

She grabs him by his collar. "You tell me who it is or so help me you won't ever be able to work anywhere in this entire world again!"

"You don't have that kinda power lady." He laughs in her face, the smell of cigarettes makes her nauseous. Seeing as though this man has pulled up some bravery from somewhere in his big, jiggly belly.

"My father is the headman in the CIA. MY fiancé is Zuko Agni, the son of Ozai and the grandson of the late Azulon." He man gulps. "I can have you deported back to Ba Sing Se with the bat of an eyelash." It's mean but she doesn't care. Her privacy has been violated, that's something that she never wanted to get out. That's nothing to do with the rest of the world, that's her and Zuko's business only. She shakes the publisher a couple more times before she lets him fall to the floor like a limp doll.

"She didn't give me her name really, I swear!" He sputters. "All I know was that she she knew about the pregnancy and she told us! That's it, I swear "

"A woman?"

"Yes!"

"How did she look?"

"She looks like… uh- wait! She looks like you except her eyes are grey. That's all I know, I promise!"

Upon hearing this something in Katara breaks.

Yue hums a tune as she taps her fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for the light to turn green. She glances back at Yukyra whose knocked out cold in the backseat. Today has been mother daughter day and so far everything's going great. It would've been an official family day but Sokka got called into work at the last minute.

Her bright eyes scan over the busy streets and she has to do a double take when she catches something on the curb. She squints her eyes to see better and her jaw drops from realization.

It's Sokka.

It's Sokka and Suki.

It's Sokka and Suki wrapped together in a lovers embrace. Acting on pure impulse she drives out into the traffic zooms over to the two.

"Let me guess." He begins. "You want to know why Kane and Katara have such tension between them, am I correct?"

"Yes."

"It's pretty complicated." Hakoda hands the secretary a signed slip of paper and she walks briskly out of the room. It is complicated, but what he says is true. What Katara said is true. When the girls were smaller Kane was a bit salty of Katara's water bending, singing, and dancing abilities. Kane would try and sabotage and even humiliate Katara any chance she got. Not to mention the girl never knew her own mother that much. That caused her to run into the arms of Kya, Katara's mother. Katara didn't like that, and one night Kya was going to bring Kane a present but she ended up dying in a fatale car wreck. Katara does blame Kane for her mother's death, that's for certain. If she hadn't left out that night she would still be alive.

Everything Katara has ever had Kane has either destroyed it or taken it away from Katara, including boyfriends. He, along with Jet, are prime examples of that.

"Katara was like the older sister that she never had until the accident, they were best friends. Now they can't even be in the same room for ten minutes without being at war."

"Shouldn't her father have some type of intervention for her?"

"He doesn't really have any control over her. Kane pretty much does whatever she wants to."

"She's just lost kind of, right?"

"Very lost." Hakoda looks up at him from his paperwork. "You have feelings for her don't you?"

"Semi. I'm sorry."

"It's nothing to be sorry about, it's natural."

"That feels a lot better coming from you."

"I know it's because I'm Katara's father, but it's hard not notice the woman that's always around when the one who you love isn't."

"I know." A wave of guilt washes over Zuko. All the while Katara was gone MIA besides Yue, Kane has been here helping him cope, keeping his mind off of all the negative and helping him deal with life after Katara impacted it. He loves Katara, he really does, but he can't say that he doesn't have anything for Kane.

"Where is Katara right now anyway?"

"I don't know. We were supposed to go to my parents house to discuss the will." He tells him. "As a matter of fact i haven't really been seeing her for like three days."

"I haven't seen Yue that much either."

"Do you think that something's wrong?"

"It's probably nothing." At least, Zuko hopes its nothing.

But he doesn't know how wrong he is.

**.0.**

"I don't want this!" She takes the large portrait off the wall and throws it down to the floor. The glass shatters everywhere when it hits the hard floor along with all the other portraits. This has been going on all morning, the shouting, the throwing of objects, cursing and threats. Situ moves out of the way of a flying vase, luckily it's only plastic. He's called Zuko numerous times, he didn't answer. But what good what it do? Not even he can control this woman when she's taking with a fit. Katara doesn't think he's upset about the tabloids, if he is he isn't showing it.

"What's the matter with you Katara?" He musters up enough courage to ask her and braces himself to be attacked, it never comes. She whips around on him -makeup smeared with blood red eyes- and throws a small table at him, he ducks out of the way just in time.

"Everything wrong! You of all people should know that!"

"I don't know anything, you haven't told me anything."

"I shouldn't have to!"

"I'm not Zuko, Katara. I can't read your damn mind. And speaking of Zuko do you even know where he is right now?"

"Shut up."

"Is this all something about him? Did you two have another fight or something?"

"No."

"Is it something more with Kane?"

"No."

"Do you want a snickers or something? You do get like This when you're hungry."

"No! I don't want a fucking snickers!" She shouts at him. Tears pool down her cheeks and neck.

"Then what is it?"

"I'm pregnant and he doesn't want it."

"Stop talking crazy, of course he wants it."

"He said he didn't want it, he told me he didn't want to try anymore. This baby is a problem, Situ. That's what's wrong!" She leans back against the wall. "What am I gonna do now?"

Situ is silent for a while, his jaw is clenched and his eyes have darkened. "I'm going to go call your doctor." Then he leaves her in the destroyed room by herself.

"Have you seen Suki?" Sokka asks when he pops up on Zuko's doorstep.

Zuko looks at him funny. "Suki?"

"I mean Yue!"

"No, why?"

"Because Yukyra is in the car screaming her head off and Yue isn't answering her phone or anything. I don't know where she is, Katara said that she hadn't seen her and neither has Arnook." He runs a hand through his loose hair. "I don't know what's going on."

"Why'd you ask me if I saw Suki?" Zuko closes the front door and begins walking to his car. Then he pauses when he finally realizes something, he turns around. "Sokka don't tell me-"

"-It was a mistake." He swallows. "I just… one thing led to another."

"She probably found out, that's why she's gone." Zuko unlocks the doors to his car and gets in. He has intentions on going straight to Katara and see what's been going on with her. She hasn't been around, he hasn't been talking to her either. She's done this before but this time he's worried, he doesn't know why.

"You think so? Shit!" Sokka grabs his head in panic. "What am I gonna do? What am I gonna do Zuko?" Before Zuko can answer Sokka takes off to his truck and gets Yukyra out of the backseat, he comes back over with a worried expression on his face. He's cheated on his wife, Zuko would be worried too.

"I'm going to go see Katara, you just stay here until I get back- no, give her here." Zuko gets out of the car and takes the child from him. "Get her car seat, I'll take her with me to go to Katara. You just... Go see if you can find her."

"I don't really know what's going on man. I just woke up this morning and she was gone. She didn't leave a note or anything. Kane is gone too, no ones seen her." He leaves and comes back with the car seat and hooks it up in the backseat. "As a matter of fact I don't even know if Yue came home last night."

"What about her clothes and stuff? Did she take anything?"

"Everything's still there."

"Even her makeup caboodle?"

"Yeah. That's weird because she doesn't go anywhere without it."

"Did you ask Toph and Aang?"

"They haven't seen her. I'm gonna head back to the house and see if she comes back."

Zuko loads Yukyra into the car seat. "Alright."

Yukyra laughs the entire way across town without fail. She's happier than usual today, maybe it's because that she knows she's going to see Katara. He has absolutely no clue on where Yue can be, but maybe she did catch Sokka with Suki. Who really knows?

When he makes it to Katara's house he's relieved to see that she's home. He quickly takes Yukyra out of the car seat and knocks on the front door, It's almost immediately opened. Katara stands there with a broom in her hand, wearing nothing but a loose high school t shirt and short black shorts. Her hair is wild about her head and it looks like she's had a rough night, or couple of days. Her eyes are red and her skin is a little pale, if that's even possible.

She looks at him and then down at Yukyra before extending the door open. "Hey."

He steps in and looks around. "Hey." The smell of cleaning supplies and house sprays nearly knocks him out. He knows she hasn't been locked up in the house cleaning all this time. He puts Yukyra in the playpen that Katara bought specially for her and she immediately goes to the small toys that are placed there for her.

"I heard Yue is gone." Katara starts. "She must've finally caught those two together."

"What do you mean finally?"

"That triangle that's between Yue and Sokka and Suki has been going on for years. It's nothing new."

"So you knew that he was still seeing her?"

"I'm his sister, I know everything."

"Why didn't tell you tell Yue?"

"If it were between your sister and your friend, what would you do?" She finishes sweeping what appears to be glass up off the floor. "Would you pick sides or would you just leave it be?"

"You're right." He watches Yukyra for a moment longer before he joins her in the kitchen. "What happened in here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well for one there's a pile of glass in the middle of the floor. All of your decorative junk is gone."

"I broke it all."

"Why? What's been with you lately?"

"Alright." She sighs. "I've helped you through your grieving stage about Azulon and I've put all of that stuff with you and Kane behind me because obviously you were just using her to get what you needed right?"

"Yeah." He nods. "Right."

"I don't like the way you said that, so I assume you forgot Im a walking lie detector."

"You're talking crazy again, Katara."

"You think I'm stupid?" She asks. "You feel something for her. It's not hard to tell."

"I don't."

"Yeah right."

"You're crazy."

"You know what else is crazy?"

"What?"

"Me being pregnant by someone who doesn't even children."

"What?" He freezes. That's why she's been behaving like this? His eyes drop down to her stomach. How far…?

"I'm a month." She answers his unasked question and it's silent after that. The only sound in the now is the cartoon showing on the television in the living room for Yukyra. She's staring at him while his eyes are still on her stomach. "You can talk to my social worker, I can take care of everything else myself. You don't have to do anything."

"What do you your social worker?"

"You don't want this baby, Zuko. You said you didn't want to try anymore. Believe me, it's fine."

"I said that because I'm not ready to take another loss like that again Katara. I never said I didn't ever want any again." He expects a smart reply, or a cold remark but it never comes. She just stares down at the shined floors in silence. When he moves to approach her her head snaps up, her nerves aren't too good right now. He can tell. He gets down on his knees and encircles his arms tightly around her waist. His head is on her stomach where his child resides. He never got a chance to do this, he won't miss out this opportunity again. Hopefully, he meets this one. Hopefully everything goes good this time and he'll have the family with her that he's always wanted.

Her hands comb through his hair, and tears drop down onto his head and shoulders.

"So what's there to tell?" Katara asks the doctor the next morning. "Everything's fine right?" Doctor Hu is tall and slender, he reminds her of Aang with his bald head and brown eyes.

"From the looks of it. The baby's fine, but it's too early to tell the sex of it. This is your first one?"

"No, I was pregnant before."

Doctor Hu nods. "I was looking over your paperwork, your medical history and such and I saw some problems."

"Problems with the baby?"

"No, no. The baby is perfect for right now. I'd bet my life that it'll come out strong and healthy. Now you on the other hand, you aren't too healthy." He says this a bit grimly with serious eyes and a wrinkled forehead. "Your body is a tad weak-"

"-What do you mean it's a tad weak?" She interrupts him. "I just had a set of twins and my doctor said that I was healthy. I carried full

Term!"

"This scenario is different. We've evaluated you carefully this morning, a full uterine and vaginal examination. We don't think that this pregnancy is for you."

"What do you mean you don't think it's for me?"

"What I'm saying is," he removes his glasses from his face. "Well, let me ask you this. Do you plan on having a natural birth?"

"Of course I do, why are you asking me this?"

"Because Ms. Khalan, if you have this baby, he or she is going to kill you." He says "You will not survive this childbirth."

**.0.**

**Well, read and review.**

**Also, go check out Give Me Love.**

**It's all your favorite love stories/movies rolled into one. It's more of a coming of age teen romance. It's just Safe Haven, A Walk To Remember, The Notebook, and The Last Song mixed into one. I hope you all enjoy it.**

**Also, it's only two chapters left in this story. **

**Don't wotty, theyre gonna be long. lol**

**I wonder if Katara's gonna die...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Story Title:** I Won't Let You Go

**Author: **XxToTo

**Full summary: SEQUAL TO I WONT GIVE UP- it's said that if you love something let it go, and If it comes back then that's how you know it's real. Nothing can destroy what's destined to be and true love can never be buried and forgotten. Will Katara and Zuko finally have a happy ending?**

**Seven**

"I want a boy." Zuko says. "Or a girl, it really wouldn't matter. What did the doctor say?"

"Everything's going good right now. He asked me what type of birth that I wanted."

"Did you go for c section?"

"What? No!" She manages a laugh. "I'm going naturally." She hasn't told him about what the doctor really said. She's still trying to process it herself. "The doctor said that I'm too below body weight and something about not having enough blood. There's more risks with cesarean section anyway."

"Oh." He says. "Well that's disgusting anyway."

"Shut up."

"I'm just saying." He shrugs. "You thought I'd leave you?"

"Of course I did."

"I won't leave you."

He may not be leaving her but she'll have to leave him, it's either her or the baby and Katara is stuck. She doesn't know what she wants to do. She remembers how Yue wanted to her kill Yukyra while she was still in the womb, she couldn't do that. She wouldn't even let Yue go for an abortion.

_Abortion._

No. Katara could never.

"I heard you threatened the press."

"I had to. What they did was stupid. They need to remove that."

"Once it's out there Katara it's out there for good. There's nothing anyone could do."

"When you have money you have power Zuko." She tells him. "You have to the money. Make it go away, people are scared of you."

"No they aren't."

"He looked scared to me. I told him i was engaged to you and he was ready to mess himself."

"I thought you didn't want to get married."

"I never told you that."

"Well you did tell me to forget you and that you'd never get back together with me."

"Just like you told me the same thing."

"Alright, let's just forget about that time then."

"Alright."

She looks out the window at the passing scenery. "Forgive and forget right?"

"Right."

"I can't forgive."

"I can too but I can't forget."

"Me neither."

They spend the rest of the day moving katara's things back into Zuko's house. All she really needed was her clothes and a few portraits, not to forget her awards.

"Who was your first love?" Zuko nearly drops the stack of papers he's carrying. She looks over her shoulder at him while carefully brushing Toby. "Did you have one?"

"Of course I have one." He says. "She's pregnant and she's brushing the fleas out of a beast that's not even supposed to be in my house."

"Toby doesn't have fleas. He's part of family, of course he's going to be in the house with us." She stands and sanitizes her hands with some sanitizer that Zuko strangely keeps in every room. "It was Mai wasn't it?"

"I thought it was." He mumbles. "Have you talked to Yue?"

"No. I was about to start getting worried until sokka called her the other day. She told him to suck eggs and then she just hung up."

"Suck eggs?" He looks up at her from behind his desk. "Seriously?"

"That's just the tip of her insults." Theres a knock at the door and Katara moves to open it with Toby right on her heel. She unlocks the door and opens it. Yue stands there holding suitcases with a disgruntled look on her face. She looks a mess -hair all messy with old makeup on- she rolls her eyes and sighs.

"I'm divorcing your brother." She announces as she brushes past Katara and sits her suitcases down on the floor. "I'm done."

"What? Why?" Katara knows why, but she doesn't want it seem like she's choosing sides.

Yue twirls around to her with flashing eyes and throws her hands on her hips. "Don't play all innocent and naive Katara. I know you know about Sokka and Suki. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why did you even think I would?"

"Because we're best friend Katara. That's why!"

"I wasn't going to choose between the two of you." Katara responds. "You know that."

"You know what? it doesn't even matter now." She sits down on the arm of the sofa.

"Fine."

Zuko comes in and looks surprised to see Yue. "What doesn't matter?"

"I'm not going back to my house so I'm going to stay with you guys until all of this is over. I would go to my father's house but he can get to me there."

Zuko looks at the suitcases on the floor. "Exactly where were you?"

"Ba Sing Se. I just managed to get some of things from the house while he was gone."

"You were gone almost a month Yue."

"I wasn't going to come back but I got sick of the dirt and heat."

"You were just going to leave Yukyra?" Katara doesn't think that that would've been the best route. There's no way that Sokka would be able to take care of Yukyra alone. Some women would take the child and leave, not leave them. But then again, Yue isn't some women. Would she really have abandoned her child?

Yue purses her lips. "She would've been fine. She favors him over me anyway, she probably even favors Suki over me."

"That's not true." Katara places a hand on her shoulder. "She loves you, you're her mother."

"I only gave birth to her. Apparently that's not enough to make your child love you." Yue swats her hand away. "I'm going to stay here. There security codes and all types of locks here… he'll never be able to get to me here." She picks up her suitcases. "Where's my room?"

"I'm telling him you're here." Katara says. Zuko looks down at her disapprovingly.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Zuko says unsurely.

"Why not? They need to talk!"

"You didn't want to talk to Zuko when you two had that fight. Remember?" Yue shuffles herself up with pride. "Now, my room please."

Katara frowns. "Go to Sokka, Yue."

"No."

"I think she should stay until she gets herself together." Zuko inputs, earning a glare from his fiancée.

"She should go to her daughter and husband and try to fix this stuff."

"I didn't break anything to be fixing anything."

"You don't even know if they're really even seeing each other."

"Of course I know! I always know, Katara. You know too because you tell each other everything!"

"He's my brother, what did you expect?"

"You left me in the dark, you could've said something! I never would've kept something like that from you."

"Just like you kept the fact that you tried to get Zuko to move on from me."

"That doesn't have anything to do with this."

"Alright." Zuko takes Yue's suitcases and sighs. "She's our friend Katara."

"Whatever." Katara has learned that Yue played a major card in attempting to get Zuko over her. She wanted him to move on from her. She leaves them in the living room and goes upstairs to her room.

She can hear Yue's voice down the hallway. Why can't she just go stay in the guesthouse? Right now Katara doesn't really want to be near Yue. Maybe it's because of her raging hormones or the fact that Yue doesn't want her own child. She gets into bed and stares up at the ceiling.

He was Lying.

That doctor doesn't know what he's talking about.

She's going to carry this baby full term and she's going to give birth to it, and they're both going to live.

Yes, they will.

She's going to make sure of that.

**.0.**

It's her first day back in the studio and Situ isn't really having a good day. A total of four people have gotten fired today, and all for the tiniest things. So far no ones out of the loop about her past pregnancy, but no one knows about this one. Does the world really need to know?

_No._

She scoffs. But she knows some people may think that they were Situ's children, which she doesn't care what they think. Kane still hasn't popped up yet from whatever hole she's hiding in. She doesn't need to come back,

It's just fine here without her.

"I wanna go to the beach. We should all go to the beach today." She announces. She doesn't know if they heard her or not over all the yelling, shouting, and promising threats. She closes her notebook and lays her head back against the sofa.

Situ disapproves. "You can't go to the beach, you're working."

"I wouldn't mind going to the beach. It would beat being cooped up in here with bad attitudes all day." Asami says, she earns a dirty glare from Situ.

"I can get the beach balls and stuff. It wouldn't take much to get some food because the boardwalk is right there." Someone else says. "We need a break."

"There aren't any breaks." Situ says. "Get back to work."

"We've been here since seven this morning, is Saturday! I want to have fun." Someone says from besides her.

"No." Situ says finally. Katara stands and begins packing her things up.

"We can have a bonfire." She says. "I can't remember the last time I really went to one of those. We can make it a-"

"- there won't be any bonfires, no ones going to the beach." Situ orders. "There isn't going to be a party."

"I say we can all go to the beach and have a day of laughter and smiles!"

"We have to get this work done Katara."

"We have time. One day isn't going to hurt. You can even call your sister, she's back in town right?"

"She's studying for her upcoming-"

"-Boooooooring." She digs around in the bowl on the counter for the company trucks. They're big, black SUV's used for occasions like this. Situ eyes her the entire time and frowns when she pulls out three sets of keys. She's overruling him but now she's established enough to make decisions on her own and right now she wants to have a bonfire. He's her manager, isn't he supposed to do what she says?

"I'm gonna go and get the drinks and things. So everyone still wants to go to the beach?"

"yes!"

She hands two others the keys with instructions on what to get from the store. When she turns to leave with the rest of the people Situ blocks her path with crossed arms and pursed lips.

"Are you coming or are you just going to keep standing in my way?"

"I'm not going to the beach, there's work that needs to be done. If you didn't know all you have out is one album and that single-"

"-I'll work on the single tomorrow bright and early tomorrow morning."

He looks uneasy at first but then he scoffs and leaves out the room.

She's won this one.

**.0.**

She digs her hands and feet into the cool sand and looks out at the crescent moon that's in the distance behind the ocean. Everyone's having fun behind her, the bonfire was a success for to say it was such short notice. She isn't really into it because she has more important things on her mind.

What can she do?

Should she just go ahead and marry Zuko and give birth to their child? But then what? Leave him a widow with a child? Maybe she should just postpone everything until after the delivery. She's not going to let some quack control her life. She's going to have this baby and she's going to live. That's that.

Nothing's going to take her of her child away from Zuko.

But what if it does? Then what? What if neither one of them survives? What if it's like the last time, only worse? She doesn't want to end up depressed again, the last time she got depressed she nearly lost everything, including her life.

"Want a beer?" Someone asks from behind her. It's Aang. He sits down besides her in his bright orange swim trunks and sits the drink in the sand.

"I can't."

"You can't drink? Why not? Do you have something- you're pregnant?" Leave it to Aang to see right through her. She hasn't seen him much since she got back to the city so they really haven't had a chance to talk about anything. She doesn't answer his question, he already knows.

"How far are you?" He asks with his eyes in the dark water.

"A month and some weeks."

"Does Zuko know?"

"He knows."

"Do you want it?"

"I do."

"Oh." He says softly.

"I know you don't like Zuko much but he's a good man, he's good to me. He's been good to all of us." She stands and wipes the sand from her hands. "It's been over two years. Why can't you just give him a chance?"

"Because I still love you and anyone who you're with ill never like because I feel like no one is good enough for you."

"Except for you right?"

"Right." He stands as well with a unreadable expression.

"We're getting married Aang-"

"-You think I don't know that already?"

"-I'm having his child and I'm not-" he throws the can down into the sand.

"-Maybe it's a reason that none of these pregnancies are going though Katara. Look what happened with the one from Jet. Look what happened to the last ones Katara! They're all dying for a reason! You can't keep one because you keep having them all by the same no good men and you'll never keep any."

Katara can't recall Aang ever saying something so mean and inconsiderate and heartless. It's like a knife being shoved through her heart and twisted a million times. That's how much his words hurt. What can she say? A few people look over, trying to see what the argument is about. She doesn't have time to think about or care about them. She can't say anything back and he stands there with surprise at his own words, now he regrets them. She doesn't move to wipe her watering eyes or try to control her erratic heartbeat.

"What is wrong with you?" Someone says. When Aang turns around Kane is there. She's in jeans and a university sweater, her hair is down and she doesn't look too happy. Is she mad about what she heard? Just how much did she hear? Aang storms off back to the fire without a word.

Kane approaches her cautiously. "Are you alright?"

"What do you care?" Katara says lowly as she spins around to go to the parking lot. She follows behind her but keeps a safe distance. "The only person you care about is yourself."

"That's not true, Katara."

"Whatever Kane."

Katara knows better than to think that Kane has a heart in her, she doesn't have any ounce of humanity. She still follows her even as she walks up and down the parking lot to look for her car.

"I'm sorry alright?"

"Sorry for what? Are you sorry for leaking my business to the tabloids or are you sorry about trying to take Zuko right from under my nose?"

"Wait what?" Kane stops. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about! The entire world now knows that I had not one, but two miscarriages and now people think that Zuko wasn't even the father!"

"I didn't leak anything! And as far as Zuko, why do you think I haven't been around?" She grabs her arm and makes her stop and listen to her. "You think I'm stupid? I didn't get this far in life being naive Katara."

She jerks away. "No, you just fucked over everyone to get to the top."

"I'm telling the truth! It wasn't me. I saw the magazine covers and on the tv shows but I didn't do that Katara, I wouldn't go that far."

"You're either telling the truth or you're a real good liar."

"I was way in Ba Sing Se and you were the last thing on my mind! I'm telling you that it wasn't me!"

"Then who could it have been Kane?"

"I don't know! I'm not your only enemy in this damned city." She pushes her hair back out of her face and tucks her hands into her pockets. "I just know that it wasn't me."

"You're not my enemy Kane." Katara finishes walking down the row and makes a quick right when she catches sight of her car.

"I left because I knew that even if I was with Zuko for that small amount of time, even if we acted as a real couple would, he would never treat me as good as he treats you." She says, a hint of sadness in her voice. "He's never going to look at me like he looks at you, he's not gonna love me the way that he loves you. I wasn't going to stay here and fight you over him because you I know that I wasn't ever going to win that."

Katara pauses with her hand on the car door. "There's someone out there for you Kane. It's going to be someone whose going to love you more than anything else in this entire world. They'll love you for you, no matter how annoying you are."

"Your life is perfect, you have everything and then some. I don't have that, I've never had that."

"My life is perfect?" She laughs. "My is slowly going down the drain! My life is a mess, it's complicated, it's hard, and its… my life is the last thing I'm worried about right now."

"I'm sorry about the note too, I didn't-"

"-It's alright Kane. Really, just let it go. It's the past." It is the past and Katara doesn't have any intentions on dwelling on it.

"Yeah." She kicks the ground. "I'm going to head home."

"I'll see you later Kane."

Katara watches her walk off down the row and then disappear down the corner.

When she gets home Zuko is fast asleep in his study. After hours of watching him sleep with a racing mind and tear filled eyes she covers him with a blanket and leans the chair back so that he would be comfortable. After she showers and gets into bed with Toby attempts to get some sleep, even turns her phone off so that she won't be distracted. She tosses and turns all night and finally gives up on trying to sleep, Yue's snoring in the next room isn't helping.

She jolts up in bed when she gets an idea. She reaches on the night stand for her notebook and pen and begins to write on her new project.

"Don't you think it's a bit rushed?"

"No."

"How are we going to get this done within less than a year?"

"You're the manager. Figure something out." Katara retorts.

"This hasn't even been done before Katara."

"I know it hasn't that's why I'm doing it now. I need a album with thirty two songs-"

"-Thirty two?"

"And I want thirty two videos, including an introduction video and a commentary."

"Say what now?" Jing, the executive producer, leans back in his chair and stares at her like she's crazy. "Come on now Katara…"

"This is pretty far fetched." Situ says.

"I know." Katara says lowly. "I don't want anyone to know about this album."

"You do realize you're talking about two albums Right? Two albums in one year Katara. Then you want videos for all of them?" Jing looks down at his blackberry and then back up at her. "What if it doesn't sale?"

She clenches Situ's hand under the table. "It will sale. I promise it will."

"What do you think Situ?" Jing asks. "I've trusted your judgement before."

Situ nods. "I think she can do it. I know she can. We've pulled off the impossible before."

"How are you going to do all this? I looked at your schedule, you're packed this week and the next." Jung doesn't wait for her to answer. "I have to really know that this is going to work, otherwise we're going to lose right at billions."

"I know the risk, Jing, but I want to do this." Katara says surely. "I won't flop I promise."

Jing still looks unsure. "But that's not the thing Katara. This is a big project…"

"If it doesn't do good, if I flop you can just cut me from the label." She chances. "If it's under a million cut me off."

"Are you crazy?" Situ asks.

"You're gambling with your life now Katara."

She stands. "If you won't make this happen I'll find someone else who will. And they'll get all the fame and credit!"

"Be relational now Katara." Jing says softly. "You obviously aren't thinking straight."

"I'm thinking just fine. This is something that I have to do."

"Alright." Jing says after what feels like hours of thinking. "Alright. I'll have my team set you up with everything that you need."

Katara lets out a breath of relief. "Thank you." Situ stands along with Jing and gets the door for her.

"And Katara?" She turns around. "Don't make me regret this."

She nods. "I won't. I promise."

**.0.**

Zuko lays his head on her stomach later that night, he says that it's a good feeling knowing that you have a child growing inside a woman that you love more than anything in the world. It's comforting. And she slowly takes her fingers through his now loose hair.

"It's a boy." He whispers.

"What makes you think that?" &

"I just have a hunch that's it's a boy."

"What would you name it? Even if it's a girl, what would you name it?"

"Don't you want some say in that?"

She shakes her head. "I named the last two."

"What did you name them?"

"Rain and Zukoda."

"Rain and Zukoda." He tests the name. Then he slides her shirt up higher and kisses the bottom of her stomach lightly. "I like it,"

"I want to get started on wedding plans."

"When?"

"Now." She continues combing her fingers through his hair and closed her eyes. "I want a big wedding with chariots and white horses. I want our child at our wedding. They'll be here, I know they will."

"They will, you can have your dream wedding as long as it makes you happy."

She opens her eyes. "Winter."

"What?"

"If it's a girl, I want her to be named winter."

"It's different."

"You like it?"

"I love it."

For the first time in a long time Katara's mind and soul are at complete peace. She doesn't want to end this sweet moment. "I think it's another girl."

"What makes you think that?"

"I don't know. I just do."

He moves and lays his head in the crooks of her neck. "Whatever it is I'll be happy."

**.0.**

Zuko sleeps in the next morning.

It's rainy, cloudy, and the temperature has dropped a little bit because of the slowly approaching fall. She's opened the French double doors to let some fresh air run the bedroom, the smell of fresh pine and water helps her nerves and stables her concentration. Her notebook is halfway filled now, she's going to need a new one before the day is out. Last night she went crazy writing things down.

"You watching me sleep every night is starting to become a little weird." He rolls over onto his stomach and locks her to his chest.

"You've known all this time?"

"I don't sleep that light Katara."

She holds back a smile and finishes her writing, now it's his turn to watch her.

He comes to the studio with her today, something that he hasn't done in a long time. He sits back behind the glass with Situ, whose instructed him not to touch anything at all. She hasn't told him that these two albums are a secret, but he should've picked it up by now. She catches Sonzae out the corner of her eye looking at her, they haven't talked since before she left. Katara doesn't even know how she's able to in the same room with her. It's a eerie feeling but Katara tries her best to ignore it as the band gets ready.

She wrote this one last night when she was thinking about her father, how he's going to be giving her away soon and how he's still doubtful about giving his daughter away to another man. She's supposed to go and see him today, they have so much to talk about now. Every day counts and she doesn't plan on letting a single one go wasted. Situ gives her the okay to start and then presses the big red button.

_Daddy you taught me to do the right things_

_So now you have to let your baby fly_

_You've given me everything that I will need_

_To make it through this crazy thing called life_

_And I know you watched me grow up_

_And only want what's best for me_

_And I think I found the answer to your prayers_

_And he is good, so good_

_He treats your little girl like a real man should_

_He is good, so good_

_He makes promises he keeps_

_No he's never gonna leave_

_So don't you worry about me_

_Don't you worry about me_

_Daddy there's no way you'll ever lose me_

_And giving me away is not goodbye_

_As you watch me walk down to my future_

_I hope tears of joy are in your eyes_

_Cause he is good, so good_

_And he treats your little girl like a real man should_

_He is good, so good_

_He makes promises he keeps_

_No he's never gonna leave_

_So don't you worry about me_

_Don't you worry about me_

_And when I watch my baby grow up_

_I'll only want what's best for her_

_And I hope she'll find the answer to my prayers_

_And that she'll say_

_He is good, so good_

_And he treats your little girl like a real man should_

_He is good, so good_

_He makes promises he keeps_

_No he's never gonna leave_

_So don't you worry about me_

_Don't you worry about me_

_Daddy don't you worry about me_

_Don't you worry about me_

The first album she's working on will contain thirty two songs and thirty two videos along with commentary. Daddy's Song will be a separate single, but the album is solely for her child.

The second album with contain forty songs, she isn't sure if she wants videos for them. She's trying to reach out to other artists now but she doesn't want it to be revealed. Well, people can know she's working on something else but she doesn't want them to know the release date. She has to get this done before she's too big to move.

If the worst comes, She's just trying to leave behind something for her family and friends. She awaits for the others behind the glass to play and back and fix whatever they have to fix. While they're doing that Zuko comes in and gives her her notebook. She takes it and flips through the pages. She doesn't need to memorize anything, she already knows every song by heart.

She looks up at him, his eyes are glossy. He looks a little emotional. "How was it?"

"It was great." He nods. "It was… you did good." He looks down at her stomach and then back up at her. "So how's…"

"It's fine right now. I don't really feel any different."

"Oh."

Behind her she can hear the piano being tuned and tested out, along with violins harps. She can't remember the last time she'd seen a harp. "You're nervous." She says.

"Can you blame me?" Zuko chuckles. "I have half the mind to lock you in the basement for nine months so that nothing can happen to you."

"Nothing's going to happen to me or this baby, I promise." She manages a smile for him that he matches. Situ says to start on the very first track for the first album, so Zuko has to leave out. She stares at the blue and silver mic that's on the stand in front of her and when the slow and soft and sad music begins to play, she can't help but cry about the want ifs.

_I pray you'll be my eyes_

_And watch her where she goes_

_And help her to be wise_

_Help me to let go_

_Every mothers prayer_

_Every child knows_

_Lead her to a place_

_Guide her with your grace_

_To a place where she'll be safe_

_I pray she finds your light_

_And holds it in her heart_

_As darkness falls each night_

_remind her where you are_

_Every mothers prayer_

_Every child knows_

_Let her find a place_

_Guide her with your grace_

_Give her faith so she'll be safe_

_Lead her to a place_

_Guide her with your grace_

_To a place where she'll be safe_

She wipes the tears from her eyes, she isn't the only one who shed a few tears from the song. Even Sonzae and Situ look touched.

Situ called her through the glass. "Katara."

"What?"

"We don't need to fix anything. It's perfect." He sits back down. "Let's go onto the next one."

When Zuko smiles in approval at her, she smiles back, a little bit of her heart breaking.

**.0.**

"I was pregnant two times before. I lost a three girls before, and each time it hit me harder and harder. I don't know if you'll ever see this, I don't know if I'll even be here after you're born, but I just want you to know that if I had the option to choose which one of us lives, I would choose you. I'd always choose you. I've stopped caring about me, your life is more important than mine. I will carry you, and I will give birth to you, and I'm going to be the best mother that this world has ever seen. You know why? Because I love you. I've always loved you and everything's going to be just fine. I don't know if you're a boy or a girl, but I'm really leaning towards the name Winter. Maybe Winter Blue, I know it's weird but it's different at the same time. Winter is beautiful, just like you are."

The bedroom door opens and Zuko comes in fully dressed. "It's time to go to. Who were you talking to?"

"No one." She closes down the laptop after she saves the video and stands to adjust her dress. "Are you ready yet?"

"I've been ready. I was looking for you the entire time." He puts his hand on her back and leads her down the stairs where the others are waiting for them. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Quit worrying."

"I'll never stop worrying."

She doesn't say anything after that. She just clutches his arm tighter and leans into his side and links her hands through his thats around her waist on her stomach, holding onto the loves of her life.

**.0.**

**Read and Review**

**Songs used: Carrie Underwood: Daddy's Sonng & Celin Dion: a mother's prayer**

**I changed mama to daddy in Carrie underwoods song.**

**Anyways,**

**I think that what Katara is doing is very considerate because she's thinking about their child with everything she's doing, she's confident that she'll survive the pregnancy but at the same time she's preparing for if she doesn't. I think Kane is finally coming to her senses but I absolutely don't know what's wrong with Yue. I think she's relapsing. Also, caged birds has been taking down so I can work on it correctly. So I made a replacement story for that. It's new, Zuko is a bad boy rockstar and stuff like that, Katara is little miss nice. And Aang? Ugh…**


	8. Chapter 8

**Story Title**: I Won't Let You Go

**Author:** XxToToXx

**Full Summary: -SEQUAL TO I WONT GIVE UP- it's said that if you love something let it go, and If it comes back then that's how you know it's real. Nothing can destroy what's destined to be and true love can never be buried and forgotten. Will Katara and Zuko finally have a happy ending?**

**A:N PLEASE excuse any spelling and grammar errors. **

**Eight**

Katara doesn't know why she even started a conversation with Yue while they're still at odds with each other. She's still here hiding out from Sokka and Katara doesn't even think that she's the least bit worried about Yukyra. She clicks her tongue and turns to a fresh page in her new notebook, she's preparing her part of the guest list for her wedding that she plans on having in at least two months. It's going to be a bit of a rush but it's what she wants. She knows she said that she wants their child to be there for the wedding but Katara thinks that it would be better this way.

Yue laughs at something on the television and stuffs more popcorn in her mouth. "That's hilarious."

"Yeah I bet." Katara says dryly. She begins her list off by starting with the bridesmaids. There's Toph, even though she doesn't like dresses. It's mandatory that Azula is in the wedding as a bridesmaid. It just wouldn't be right if she wasn't. Ming and Kane, Kane has been behaving a bit well lately, maybe she has changed after all. Now Yue is still her maid of honor, there's no way she's going to snatch that title away from her. No, she rips the paper out and balls it up. She's going to start over and do this the right way. She'll get all of them together to go over it.

She picks up her pen and notebook and stands in front of the television to block Yue's view.

"Can you move?" Yue asks. "You're blocking the best part."

"You have to go home Yue. You have to face this, and right now you're just running from it all and eating yourself into oblivion."

"Shut up Katara."

"Quit being so childish, Yue." Katara checks the watch on her wrist. She has to be at the diner for three to meet her father and its already two ten.

"Aren't you pregnant? You should be in bed." She cocks her feet up on the glass coffee table.

"When was the last time you saw your daughter?"

"The last time I lurked your brother's instagram."

"You're impossible." Katara scoffs as she gets her keys and bag. "You're such a slob too." She steps over the empty pizza box that's in the doorway to the foyer.

"And a proud one!" Katara hears her say right before she walks out of the front door. As soon as Katara walks out the door she lets Sokka slip in, he puts Yukyra in her hands as he does so and then locks the house down.

No one can get in and no one can get out without the code.

And Yue doesn't know the code.

Katara smirks in victory as she's putting Yukyra in her car seat.

.0.

She's told her father that she's pregnant again, she told him about the twins and what happened when she was out on tour. He didn't cry like she did. He held in his tears and stayed strong for her. It hurt him more than it hurt Zuko, so that means it hurt him a lot. she's told him that she plans on having her wedding soon and how she wants him to invite all of her family, even the ones that she's never met before. He obliges, he's calm for a while until he finally realizes that he's going to be giving away his daughter soon.

"You know you're lucky that Zuko is a good man." Hakoda says, walking her to her car. "He's good for you."

"I know he is." Katara smiles.

"When your mother was pregnant with you you were a real pain. You moved and kicked all the time, you hated fish…" he smiles at the memory. "I was a nervous wreck you were born."

"Why?"

"Because I had a daughter, a baby girl. Sokka, I didn't have to worry about too much. He's a male. Life is bound to toughen him up, that's how he's supposed to be, he can hold his own now. Daughters, you have them protect them. They're just so different from sons, so much more complex."

"I know it's a lot. Plus with the boys and all, pregnancy and other stuff like that."

"That's only the half of it." He chuckles.

Katara digs around in her bag and pulls out a CD. "Here, this is for you."

"What's this?"

"Just something that I want you to listen to, it's a secret so don't tell anyone."

"My lips are sealed. Are you heading back home?"

"Not yet. I'm going to stop by Zuko's parents house first."

"You be careful on the road!" He says when she gets in the car and starts it.

"I will."

Then she pulls off and heads to Mrs. Agni.

Ursa is doing a crossword puzzle out on the deck when one of the maids leads Katara to her. She smiles warmly when she sees her and her eyebrows rise when she notices the child in her arms.

"Whose this beauty?" She beckons for katara to hand her over after she puts aside her puzzle book and pen. Yukyra doesn't mind going into the woman's arms, even though she's a stranger.

"She's my niece. Her name is Yukyra, have you spoken to Zuko?"

"Not since the day he told me he was with you at the doctor. Why?"

"I'm pregnant."

"Excuse me?"

Katara clears her throat. "I'm two months pregnant."

"That's wonderful! I'm finally going to have grandchildren- do you think it's a boy or a girl? Oh, I hope it's a girl!"

"I don't really care what it as long as it comes out healthy. We've, well, I've started a little on the wedding plans."

"Wedding too? You're killing me! Where are you going to have it?"

"I haven't really thought much of that." She hasn't thought much of anything really, except for bridesmaids and a guest list. She doesn't know if Zuko has started on anything yet. It's going to be hard to squeeze in a wedding into her already crazy schedule, but they've done the impossible before so they're going to do it again.

Hopefully it works.

Ursa's face lights up. "You can have it here! We have plenty of space and land. We have a pond, it'll look amazing!"

"Are you sure? You know you'd be opening up your house to a bunch of strangers."

"It's my son's wedding, and my house is always open to you and your family."

"But won't Ozai object to it?"

"Oh, Katara." She picks up her teacup with pursed lips and gleaming eyes. "Ozai has no say so over this house."

"Well, I guess so. If you're sure it's okay."

"It's perfectly fine!" Ursa pats her hand. "Everything's gonna be just fine."

"Yeah, it is." Katara says hopefully.

.0.

Yue and Sokka are gone when she stops back home for more diapers. Hopefully they're somewhere working out what's messed up. She just hopes that Yue didn't overpower him enough to knock him out the way and make another run for it. Once she has more diapers for Yukyra the two leave out again, this time to Agni Corporations.

There's a new receptionist at Ming's old desk. She's rather old, white hair tied up in a neat bun and she has thick glasses at the edge of her nose. The woman eyes her as soon as she gets off of the elevator, probably wondering exactly where she's going with a toddler in her arms.

She sits up straighter and Katara notices how pressed and presentable her burgundy suit is starched down to perfection. "May I help you?" Katara stops and turns around just as She's passing the desk.

"Into Zuko's office."

"Do you have an appointment with Mr. Agni?"

"I didn't know that I would need an appointment to see my own fiancé."

"Ah, you're Ms. Khalan?"

"Yes." Katara shifts Yukyra on her hip. This weight is really pulling her down now.

"You can go right on in." The woman turns her eyes back to the elevator like that's what she's being paid to do everyday, watch the elevator doors.

"You have a good day now." Katara says when she walks into Zuko's office. He's swamped, as usual, behind a mountain of paperwork. He doesn't look up when she comes in because somehow he always knows that it's her.

"You look busy." She says, sitting on the edge of his desk.

He sits his own down and sighs. "I Have to get this done by the end of the day."

"And what time would that be?"

"Six."

"You need a vacation, you're tired." She gets down and rubs his shoulders, trying to get out all of the tension. "You're so stiff."

He rolls his neck around a little and grunts. "I've been in this same spot all day."

"What did you eat?"

"Coffee." He sighs. "How'd the operation go?"

"They weren't there when I got back."

"They just left?"

"Yue's car was gone when I got back. There's no way she knew the code to get out of the house. Maybe they're just somewhere making up."

"Long as it isn't in our bed."

"Right." Her hands pause, then they start back again. "Ursa said that we could have the wedding at her house. I asked her if it would be alright with Ozai and she said that-"

"-She said that Ozai doesn't control anything regarding the house or something like that didn't she?"

"Exactly."

"So when did you expect for it to happen?"

"What?"

"The wedding."

"About two months, no, maybe one if we can cram it." She says thoughtfully. "Didn't you want to be in charge of anything?"

"No, that's really a woman's thing that I don't want to be in the middle of. Yue's wedding planning was a disaster…"

"Are you sure? You didn't want a say in anything?"

He shrugs. "Not really."

She guesses that's how that goes sometimes since a wedding is mostly a girly thing that females look forward to doing their whole lives just about. Katara knows that Sokka, when planning his wedding, was only worried about the food and entertainment.

"Whose the new meat?"

Zuko turns and looks at her with questioning eyes. "What new meat."

"You know, the new meat. Isn't that what you call a new worker in the office?"

"She's not really new, I think she used to work here before a few years ago. She left though, I don't know why."

Yukyra manages to knock over a statue, thank goodness it isn't glass, in the process f crawling across the room to look out the crystal clear class window. She pulls herself up on the glass and presses her face against it. She can walk, she just walks when she wants to.

"Let me see."

"What?" She jumps when he raises her shirt up above her stomach and presses his hands against it.

"It isn't moving."

"It's not going to move."

"Why not?"

"Because isn't formed enough yet. As soon as it's big enough to send some kicks I'll let you know." She pulls her shirt back down but his hands remain. "What's wrong?"

He doesn't answer her. He doesn't have too, from the look on his eyes Katara can tell that he's worried about both her and the baby. "It'll be fine."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Successfully getting through this pregnancy and having this baby here is the most important thing on my list. We'll be fine, I promise."

His hands slide down to her hips, then he raises her shirt up again to kiss her stomach and she looks off out the window at the greying clouds.

They're going to be fine.

They have to be.

Sokka and Suki are back at their own house, good riddance. Sokka's vehicle is gone when she makes it back to the house, maybe they've settled their differences. Yue is intolerable to live with and right now, all Katara wants is peace of mind to keep herself together. Having nothing else to do but sit and wait for Zuko to come home from work, she busies herself by organizing her schedule for the rest of this month. She has to stop three times because of the vomit that just insists on coming back to back.

Yukyra looks at her funny from her playpen, then turns back around to watch the cartoons on the television. She's quiet most of the time, that is of course, until Yue comes around. Its like her mother is the bane of her existence.

Yue can be that way sometimes.

Sitting in a chair for over three hours and writing nonstop has drained her energy, she should've suspected that. During her lady pregnancy she couldn't barely do anything, which almost ruined her career and messed up everything she'd worked hard for. She closes her books, goes back into the living room, and picks up a snoring Yukyra and brings her upstairs to the bedroom. Toby whines as she does this because he's so protective of her when he's around her. She's thought about getting Yukyra her own peppy for her birthday, just something small and protective that'll grow with her.

Katara lays her down besides her in the big bed and tucks her in tightly so that she doesn't roll over and fall out. As soon as Katara's head hits the pillow she falls into a deep sleep.

When she wakes up again it's nearly midnight. Neither Zuko or Yukyra is in the bed beside her, she jumps up out of the bed and runs downstairs. What if Zuko stayed late at work and Yukyra managed to get out of the bed by herself and got into some type of trouble?

"Yukyra?" She looks into the living room, she isn't at her playpen or at her swing. She isn't even in the kitchen, and Tony isn't anywhere either. "Yukyra!" She calls again, going into the kitchen and more alert and awake now than ever. She isn't in there either.

Zuko nearly scares her half to death when he pops up behind her. "She's gone." He almost laughs at her startled expression. "Sokka and Yue came got her a couple of hours ago. Everything's fine."

"But where's Toby then? I can't find him anywhere. He didn't even come when I called him."

"He's outside, he goes crazy to get out there around this time. You know that." Bis hand reaches up and his thumb roams in small circles on her cheek. "What's wrong?"

She doesn't even know what's wrong herself right now. She got so scared that something had happened to Yukyra just now she was about to take with an anxiety attack. When she realizes Zuko is still looking at her for an answer she moves the hair out of her face and let's out a breath. "I just can't… I didn't know where she was. I got scared that she wasn't in the bed with me."

He takes her back up to bed with him, tucks her in like a child before he gets in himself. "It'll be alright" he says softly into her hair when she curls up at his side. She feels flutters when his hand rolls over her side to turn her her onto her back so that he can run his fingertips over her stomach. She closes her eyes. Zuko wants this baby more than she does, he wants it even more than anything in the entire world.

She's just dozing off when he speaks again. "I don't think you should do anything."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want you working anymore. I want you to stay home and be safe, you know?" His hand heats up on her stomach and moves around in slow circles. "I can get a live in nurse to stay here with you while I work."

"I can't stay home."

"You can work from home can't you?"

"I can't do everything from home."

"Yes you can. There's the music room, remember? Your team can come here and do everything that they need to do here."

"I can't do my photoshoots and videos here Zuko. I have interviews and features to do so I'll have to leave the house a lot."

His hand stops. "Then I have a nurse go with you all those places and make sure you have everything that you need so there won't be any problems. Your gynecologist can live here-"

"- Zuko…"

"- It won't take much. I don't want anything to go wrong with our pregnancy. You have to start eating right and exercising more. I don't know any any mistakes this time."

"There won't be any mistakes, I promise. You don't have to lock me away in the house, the doctor said that everything is going fine so far."

"That's all she said?"

"That's all she said."

"How long before we find out what it is?"

"It should be soon." She closes her eyes again and turns her back to him to go to sleep. She dozes off again.

"Katara." She jumps again at the sudden sound of his voice. "Do you think it could be twins again?"

"Zuko, I honestly don't know." As much as she would love to stay up and discuss the possible sex of the baby, she's just too tired to. How can he still have energy? He's at work early in the morning, seven to be exact, and sometimes doesn't get off until nine or ten. Whatever superspeed drug he's on she needs it.

"Oh. Good night then." He kisses her cheek and she feels him settle into a comfortable position behind her. She sighs in bliss when he pulls her back into warm body and nuzzles his face in her. Good, now she can get to sleep quicker.

"Katara, are you sleep yet?"

What now?

"No." She half grunts into the pillow.

"When you go into the delivery room, do I have to do anything?"

"I don't know yet, Zuko."

"Ozai cut Azula's umbilical cord and Sokka did the same with Yukyra. I've never seen it before myself but Sokka said that it was the second most disgusting thing in the world."

"Well, I'm not even fully three months yet. Don't worry about it until the time comes."

"What room will they get? Do you think that we should get a smaller house? This ones kind of big for a baby…" he rolls onto his back with his arms folded behind his head in deep thought. "I think we should."

"The house is fine, Zuko."

"But there's so many stairs and little things that they can get into."

"I suppose you're right."

"I think we should sale."

"I think we should go to sleep!" She shouts out, now it's his turn to jump in surprise. "Can I please sleep?" She whips her head around to him and in the process she hits him in the face with her loose hair.

"Okay, okay." He says in a small voice. "Good night."

She drops back down onto the bed and pulls the comforter up to her neck, finally!

Five minutes later.

"Katara."

"Ugh!"

.0.

Katara places down her pen. "Can we please just focus here."

Yue says nothing as she pours herself more tea with raised brows and an expressionless face. She doesn't speak about Sokka anymore, but Katara thinks that it's probably for the best. They're still living together and wearing their rings so that's good a sign. Meanwhile, Kane is flipping through a magazine on a sofa in the corner of the room with her earbuds in her ear, not even paying attention to what's going on. She's been being. Pretty good lately and Katata thinks it's because of Lu Ten.

Yes, Lu Ten.

Katara hasn't asked her about the numbers that she found in her Jean pockets yet, but she intends to soon. Toph is in the kitchen busy stuffing her face with just about everything that she sees, and Azula is grinning, yes, grinning, like an idiot into her phone. Ursa, who just insisted on coming to the wedding discussion group is a little too prepped for this. She came with a ton of books and photos from her own wedding, along with the wedding planner who helped her put it all together.

Situ and the others are in the music room trying to set everything up so that she can get to work as soon as possible. So far she's heard three crashes followed by a series of curses from Situ, who isn't really having such a good day.

But does he ever?

"I can give you spring time, in Ba Sing Se!" Nukai says, he's rather flamboyant and energized for a male, throwing his hands and arms about as he says things and switching his hips when he walks. "Pick a color, any color!"

"I don't really know which colors that I want yet, I'm more into getting these invitations out." Katara looks back down at her paper.

Yue watches him carefully. "Well you can't have blue and white, I already did that."

"Just because you did it already that doesn't mean I can't do it Yue."

"What about cream and gold?" Ursa suggests as she flips through the pages of the book. "I already know that Zuko favors red and gold…"

"And blue and red don't really match." Kane says. So she's listening after all.

"Exactly." Ursa smiles softly at her. "What's your next favorite color Katara?"

"Well Zuko said that he doesn't really want to have anything to do with the wedding planning. He's basically letting me control everything." Ursa looks up at this and then back down at her book.

"Well that changes everything."

"I still like the idea of the gold. I don't want to make this all about me." Zuko should have a part of this too. Katara scratches out a list from her paper.

"What about the food?" Toph asks.

"How about you, Iroh, and Sokka handle the food Toph."

Kane looks up, almost second guessing what she's about to say and then looks back down at her magazine. She finally looks up again and manages a small smile. "How about royal blue and cream? The tables can all be set with golden center pieces and things like that."

"That's actually a pretty good idea." Yue says slowly, as if she almost didn't say what she wanted to. "Yeah, that is good!"

"I still think that the royal blue would be a good touch." Ursa tells Katara. "That'll be beautiful."

Nukai gasps and throws his arms around the older woman's shoulders. "Spectacular! I can see it now! A winter wonderland!"

"When do you plan on picking out the cake and your wedding dress? What about the bridesmaid dresses?" Yue takes In a quick breath. "Do you want long or short dresses? If you go with the short I should be in the gym right now to tone my legs."

"I haven't thought about that part yet."

"You would want to know!"

"Maybe tomorrow? I'll have to see what I have to do."

"Nonsense, you don't even have to leave the house." Ursa fans her.

"How not?"

"Because Zuko has set up an appointment for the designer to come out with her entire dress line."

"Well she can be added to the list with the twenty four hour nurse whose coming in the morning."

Ursa looks confused.

"He's worried about the baby." Katara clarifies. "I can't blame him." She taps her pen on the table, she doesn't want to think about that right now. "What about the wedding photos? Do you have someone in mind?"

"I do!" Yue says happily. "He did both my wedding and maternal pictures. I'll call him for you, see if he has anything- wait. What's the date that you picked?"

Katara checks the calendar on the phone. "October tenth. It's on a Saturday." She adds up the dates, it's the perfect date. She had to add a few more days to the first date that she picked though but everything should be fine. If they can get this going before the year is out everything's gonna be just fine. Next month she'll make two months. She should still be kind of small to get into her wedding dress when she picks one out. That's going to be another headache.

Nukai nods. "Not too cold and not too hot, now indoor or outdoor?"

"Outdoor."

"And your reception?"

"Uh…" Katara looks at Ursa for help.

Ursa quickly moves along with the answer. "Outdoor as well."

"And the flowers?"

"I was kind of thinking red roses. They're going to be great against the cream and gold."

"She's going to need to pick out her transportation, you know? She has to arrive at her wedding in style. Let's not forget the makeup artists and hairy stylists, entertainments going to be needed and we have to pick to the right florist for your roses, believe me, you don't want to get them from just anywhere. I'll call my videographer for you later on today, alright?"

"That's great. I'm gonna make the list of food that we need, I want to make sure there's something there that everyone likes."

"Do you think Yukyra walks good enough to be the flower girl?" Yue glances at her daughter in the playpen. "She's almost two now so…"

Katara nods. "I hope so. I think she'll be fine, she likes flowers. Alright." Now it's time for the big part. "Yue, maid of honor."

"Of course." She already knew she was going to be that.

"Azula."

Azula doesn't answer.

"Azula."

"Azula!" Ursa calls her name sternly and snaps her out of her daze.

"What, mother?"

"You're going to be the brides maid."

"Oh." That's all she says before she focuses her attention back on her phone again. Kane and Toph are also brides, but Katara doesn't know if Zuko will pick Sokka or Lu Ten to be his best man. That's a tough one. Ming, who couldn't make it, is also a brides maid. Katara wouldn't feel right to leave her out, she's become one of her closest friends.

Situ comes back into the living room. "We're ready to go Katara." He moves Toby out of the way with his foot

Katara gets up to go and get the door. "Were you all going to stay here?" A dozen women flood into the living room, all ready for their dance rehearsal. Zuko was really serious about her not leaving the house as much as she used to.

"Stay and get all sweaty and yucky? No thank you." Yue picks up her purse and sunglasses and heads to the door. "I'll see you dolls later."

Katara is watches her walk out of the door. "What about you Toph? Wanna learn something new?"

"Hell no." Toph scoffs and follows Yue's steps out the door. Then Ursa leaves, saying that she wants to start on her guest list for Zuko as well. That leaves Kane, whose still in her little corner with her magazine and phone. Kane doesn't dance or anything.

"I'll stay." She says and closes her magazine. She takes her ear buds out and closes her book.

"Are you sure?" Katara asks. "It'll be a while."

"I don't have anything else to do."

"Okay then. Let's get started." Katara then leads her and the others to the production room.

Four hours later they're all outside by the pool relaxing from the hard days work. Situ has left to go and check on his sister whose in the hospital, she's just gotten her appendix removed. Katara offered to go with him but he declined.

"You thought of a name yet?" Kane asks quietly. Katara doesn't know why she's whispering, they're far enough from the others to speak freely. "What do you think it is?"

"I don't know. If it's a girl I was thinking about Winter, it's different." Katara shrugs.

"And if it's a boy?"

She shrugs a shoulder. "It's left up for Zuko to decide. What's been going on with you? You're actually behaving like a human being." Kane has been quiet, respectful, courteous, and she hasn't been making any smart comments or picking fights with her or Yue. It's like she's back to the person she used to be, the person that everyone likes.

"Just had a reality check is all."

"From who or where?"

"From myself… and Aang, a little bit of everywhere."

"That's good then." Katara plays around with her Apple juice.

"I know you found the paper, Katara." Kane raises her head from

"What paper?"

"The paper with those numbers on it. You know what I'm talking about."

"Oh." Katara hadn't expected her to bring this up herself. This has completely caught her off guard.

"Since you wanna know I was gonna wipe them out clean-"

"-I kind of figured that. You were going to take everything from Zuko?"

She nods.

"Then I would've had to hunt you down."

"I know."

"Why didn't you do it?"

"I told you. I sat down and thought everything over before I found you at the beach, decided on doing better." She says. "Lu Ten has been helping some too."

"How exactly did that happen?"

She smiles. "I ran into him at the bookstore, literally."

"So he makes you happy?"

"Yeah." She nods. "Yeah, he does."

"Then if you're happy, if you two are happy, I'm happy too."

**.0.**

_Say you love me to my face_

_I need it more than your embrace_

_Just say you want me, that's all it takes_

_Heart's getting torn from your mistakes_

_'Cause I don't wanna fall in love_

_If you don't wanna try,_

_But all that I've been thinking of_

_Is maybe that you might_

_Baby it looks as though we're running out of words to say_

_And love's floating away_

_Just say you love me, just for today_

_And don't give me time 'cause that's not the same_

_Want to feel burning flames when you say my name_

_Want to feel passion flow into my bones_

_Like blood through my veins_

_'Cause I don't wanna fall in love_

_If you don't wanna try,_

_But all that I've been thinking of_

_Is maybe that you might_

_And, baby, it looks as though we're running out of words to say_

_And love's floating away_

_Won't you stay?_

_Won't you stay?_

_Slowly slowly you run for me,_

_But do you know me at all?_

_Someone told me love controls everything_

_But only if you know_

_'Cause I don't wanna fall in love_

_(No no no no no)_

_If you don't wanna try_

_(Just try sometimes)_

_But all that I've been thinking of_

_(I just think)_

_Is maybe that you might_

_(You might)_

_'Cause I don't wanna fall in love_

_If you don't wanna try_

_But all that I've been thinking of_

_Is maybe that you might_

_Baby it looks as though we're running out of words to say_

_And love's floating away_

_Won't you stay?_

_Won't you stay?_

"How long did it take you to do that one?" Zuko asks as he tucks his paperwork into a folder and slides it into his desk. "It's way different than the other stuff."

She doesn't stop twirling from left to right in his chair. "Not long. I wrote it last year when I was bed ridden."

There's a long pause before Zuko speaks again. "What else did you do when you were gone? You never told me."

"Slept mostly, a lot of things were canceled and I couldn't do a lot of the performances."

"Is there going to be another one?"

"Another what?"

"Tour."

"I don't know yet, probably not." She smiles up at him. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna leave you again."

"I hope not."

The door bell rings and Toby jumps up to go and investigate it, barking and growling the whole way down the hall.

"I'll go get it." Katara says and gets up. As soon as she takes a step a terribly sharp stabbing pain comes in her abdomen, followed by the warm liquid flowing down her thighs. The last thing that she sees before she hits the hardwood floor is Zuko running over to side.

**.0.**

**So honestly I'm kinda jealous. -_- because like i know I have good stories and I put my heart and soul into them a lot. But some people create these fanfics and they an only upload two chapters and then two months later they're at 600 reviews. Meanwhile, my lame self updates as much as I can as fast as I can to keep myself and my readers happy. Lol, and I only get like three reviews for each chapter. -_- **

**That's so NOT fair dude, lol. **

**I don't know, it must be me or something. Or someone has a curse on me. Either way, I get disappointed a lot in my lack of reviews. **

**Sometimes I wanna give up cause its like no ones reading them anyway. But I still continue until I finish them. If I don't finish them I won't feel right. **

**But go and check out the final installment of Rise From The Ashes and Lullabies and Riffs. I was actually thinking about redoing the first Rise from the ashes, but then it would confuse everyone but it is on my to do list. **

**Don't hate me for what happened to Katara. **

**Xox**

**Read and review. **


	9. Chapter 9

Authors Note:

Okay, so here's the thing.

I won't copy any other authors work. Every author is different and have their own writing styles and the way that they want their story done. I don't even read any anymore. I used to reread the concubine princess over and over and it's another fanfic where Zuko is a FBI agent or something and he's got two kids and he was working undercover and I think Katara was a crook. If anyone knows the name of that fanfic please let me know!

Also, I can't find the Fall and the rise either.…

But yeah, I value every review, rather it's good or bad. But at the same time I really understand that every one is entitled to their own opinion and every author has to deal with that because Criticism lets me know what I need to work on. But anyway, here's the answers to you alls questions.

_Caged Birds has been taken down to be redone._

_Give Me Love is still going._

Lullabies and Riffs is still going. - I took it down because I didn't want to confuse anyone but my main focuses are I Won't Let You Go and The Freed.

_The Freed (of course) is still going in._

_The Lost Princess has been taken down but im puttin it back up friday. _

Now, in I Won't Let You Go…

You just have to trust me when I tell you that I know what I'm doing and how I'm going to work everything out. Right now it's going the way that it's going for a reason, and that reason being… you'll just have to wait to see how it plays out. I won't let too much in on this stories plot, you'll just have to trust that i know what my readers want with this story. I know what they want to happen and what they don't want to happen, I know how they feel about all the characters. Alot of [people actually lovr this story.

Just trust me to deliver what you all want.

In time.

Once this fic is over it DONE

kow if any of my readers have ever really been in love with someone but if you have, and if you live in the modern world and understand Katara and Zuko's nature, you would actually understand this sequel. Some times things have to get worse for them to get better and some times they don't. They're complicated and messy.

You'll just have to wait and see.

This isn't bashing, just to clear a lot of the confusion and tension.

Anyways, I'll continue doing my stories with my own original plots and with my own ideas for the interior story and the characters. I know I'm a good writer and I put in a lot of hard work for to make my stories good, I make them really realistic. But I DO VALUE THE HELP, honestly.

I think i'll get a reviewer to look it over.

I'll continue writing, I'll always write for Avatar but I'll be moving back to Naruto soon.

It'll be no more avatar for me...

To everyone whose been by my side through all the bull with I Won't Give Up and even the bull with I **Won't Let You Go, I love you.**

**I really do :)**

**You're really great people!**

**Everyone enjoy your Christmas and I'll see you all December 31st - January 2nd.**

**That's your Christmas present, lol. The dates that I'll update again.**

**Happy Holidays!  
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	10. Chapter 10

**story**** Title**: I Won't Let You Go

**Author**: XxToToXx

**Full Summary**: **-SEQUAL TO I WONT GIVE UP- it's said that if you love something let it go, and If it comes back then that's how you know it's real. Nothing can destroy what's destined to be and true love can never be buried and forgotten. Will Katara and Zuko finally have a happy ending?**

**A:N- I don't know if you guys actually read my notes or not but please read this one. I hope that you all take the time out to say a prayer, no matter what religion you are, for Antonio Martin, Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, and all the other black men who were wrongfully shot and killed, it's really bothering me now. If you all don't know, Antonio Martin was hit by a officer and was alive doe thirty minutes before he died. The police did not call an ambulance but they called for crowd control, they put Antonis's body in the back of a mini van, like he was less than a human being. These men pleaded for their lives and no action has been taken. The police get away with murder, and they keep doing it over and over because they know that they can. Since I'm African American it makes me think back to the old days, you know what I mean when I say that. I don't have anything against the white race, I don't have anything against police officers. But what's wrong is wrong and marching doesn't seem to be doing any good. I won't label the entire lot of people based off the actions of one. I live in the south, Louisiana, and it's very depressing. Please don't have any controversy about this, I'm just putting this here to make you all aware. This has to be stopped, and an eye for an eye will only make the entire world blind.**

**Anyways, I really tried with this chapter that's why it took me so long to update.**

**Nine**

_She's threatening to miscarry._

That's what the doctors told Zuko after he spent hours in the waiting room at the hospital on the edge of a breakdown. He didn't know what was going on with her, he didn't know what was going on with the baby when she just collapsed on the floor bleeding. He's still shaken up about the sight.

But her miscarrying isn't the only thing that the doctor told them. He also said that it's a good chance she won't be making it out of this pregnancy alive, her anemia and the high blood pressure are all tolling on her. He didn't know, he didn't know anything. He didn't know about the twins, he didn't know she had anemia. He didn't know about the high blood pressure, he didn't know ANYTHING!

Why does she keep keeping things from him?

Why?

Now he has to face the fact that there's a possibility she won't be around to raise their child with him. She's going to miss out on everything, she's going to leave him in a matter of months.

Again.

When Yue comes Sokka goes home to get more clothes. Toph still hasn't came yet but Aang is here, he doesn't say anything though.

Good.

He doesn't need to. Kane told him what happened because Katara never did, and even though it takes a lot to control himself around the younger boy Zuko knows that he has to.

Zuko doesn't look up from the while tiled floor. "Did you know?" Yue looks his way but she doesn't say anything. When he raises his head she's she's looking down at her clasped hands. For once in her life she didn't try to doll up. She's in nothing but her silk pajamas, a hoodie, and a pair of bed slippers. "Yue."

"She didn't want me to tell you, Sokka doesn't even know." She shakes her quickly, making her ponytail whip from left to right. "Honest! She has your best interest at heart!"

He instantly snaps on her. "How is her keeping secrets from me and lying to me my best interest Yue? How?" She jumps at his outburst and doesn't say a word for a while after that.

"She didn't want you to worry, alright?"

"Well I'm worrying now than ever!"

"What kind of friend would I have been if I would've went behind her back to tell you? Huh? What what kind Zuko? She trusted me!"

"I trusted you too Yue."

"She trusted me with this and you expect me to tell you and break her trust in me? She told me for a reason Zuko, why can't you just respect that?"

"Because I have to face the fact that she may not be here once that baby is born! I had to find it out through a doctor that I don't even knew! Does that not mean anything to you?"

Yue jumps up. "How do you think I feel? You think that I'm happy about this? Well I'm not! You aren't the only one whose scared here Zuko!"

"It would've killed either of you to say something?"

"I am not about to argue and fight with you in a hospital, where there are sick and dying people!"

"That never stopped you before!"

"Ahem." The doctor, whose short and old and grey with big red horn rimmed glasses comes from down the hall. "She's going to fine."

"Fine as in what?" Zuko asks. "What about the baby?"

"Baby fine, baby fine. But we are keeping her over night just to make sure that her and the baby will be fine." He replies and relief washes over Zuko, she's going to be fine. They're both going to be fine. "Are you husband?"

"No, I'm… I'm her fiancé."

Yue scoffs.

"Then you are husband. Go in now." The doctor then looks sharply at Yue. "You stay!"

Zuko doesn't stick around to hear Yue's sassy comeback. As soon as the doctor says that he can go in he goes in. When he's goes into her assigned room she's hooked up to a machine and tucked under a thick white blanket. He's surprised that they didn't have to sedate her. She doesn't Iike being in hospitals, it's that weird?

"Good, you're here. You can tell them to let me go." She sits up and throws the sheets back. "I don't have time to be in here. I have things to get done."

"You're not leaving this hospital Katara."

"Why not?"

"Because the doctor said so, and you're trying to make it look like everything's alright when you know damn well it's not."

She raises her head higher. "Oh? And what's not alright?" He goes and sits beside her.

When she tries to get up he pulls her back down by her hand. "You know what it is. It's a lot of things and you know what? I think that's why all of this happened, because you hold in all of your emotions so much and working yourself crazy isn't making it any better."

"Like?"

"We don't really need to talk about this now." She may go into another episode. He shouldn't have bought it up but Zuko knows that what he said is the truth. "We can do this later."

"I wanna know now."

He thinks for a moment, stares into her blue eyes and then exhales. "You're still mad about Kane, i know that much. You're still mad about everything what happened mad I'm sick of you holding it all in."

"How do you know that?"

"Because you just let everything go in a matter of weeks."

"Just like you let go of the problem with Situ and me, and the part about the twins."

"I never did let it go. Just because I don't talk about it that doesn't mean that I don't think about it." He says back with a little aggravation of his. "Obviously, he knows his boundaries. Other wise why would he still have his job?"

Zuko, at any time, could've had the other man stripped of his title. Situ would not have been able to work anywhere, he could've really stripped his life away from him. But he didn't. Zuko knows that while they were away he didn't lay a hand on her at all, and he knows that Katara wouldn't ever do something like that to him.

He's still upset about the twins, he'll always be upset about them. Who wouldn't? She was pregnant and she didn't tell him. She went into labor and they died and she didn't tell him until after she came back to the city. Just because he doesn't speak about it or throw it in her face every chance he gets that doesn't mean that it isn't sill hurting him.

"You thought I'd get over something like you messing with my own cousin so easily?" Well he didn't think that. They just kind of got back together, it was an unspoken agreement. She stands up and tries to tear the IV out of her arm. "I'll never get over something like that, just like you won't ever get over what I did."

"That's how I knew. You were mad as hell when you found out and then you got over it just like that, it's like you didn't accept the fact that I did that." Zuko pulls her hand away and grips her wrist tightly. "There's still things that need to be talked about and sorted out Katara."

"Oh, you did it. You had even caught feelings for her, that's…" she sighs and moves her hair behind her ear and shakes her head. "Whatever."

There's silence in the room now. She looks down at him, and as she's doing so Zuko sees everything that she's been hiding since the Fourth of July. Let's face it, they didn't work anything out. They just got right back together like nothing ever happened between them. And since she's holding it all in and not trying to get it out it's making her stress and if she stresses she endangers herself and the baby.

It isn't even coming out through her music, so where is she keeping it?

He stands and wraps his around her, she lays her head on his shoulder and Zuko breathes in. He closes his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me what the doctor said?"

"I was scared."

"Scared to tell me or scared-"

"Both."

When he feels the hot tears soak his shoulder he makes small circles in her back with his hand. He tells her that everything is going to be alright, they're here and they have each other. That's all that matters right now and together, they'll get through this.

He spends the night on the sofa of her hospital room and watches her sleep. The doctors had to come in and sedate her because she wouldn't go to sleep and get the rest that she needed to recover. Sokka stays too and is asleep and loudly snoring in the arm chair with a tray full of empty dishes and containers in his lap. Aang on the other hand, he leaves after a short while and Yue went home until morning. Zuko sort of hopes that he doesn't come back at all.

He wouldn't care.

He can't help but wonder how they did to get like his. Who was it that started all of this? Was it him? There was that assistant Kenshin, the time that his ex drugged him and tries to say that the baby was his, not to mention when he'd left for Ember Island and when he was hugged up and sleeping with her very own cousin. He'd accused her of having relations with Situ, which turned out to be false. He and Situ are now at a mutual understanding. They're both in love with the same woman, but since Situ loves her the way that Zuko knows he does, he wants to see her happy even if it's not with him.

Katara has done her things as well. She didn't tell him that she would be leaving for eighteen months she didn't tell him that she was pregnant, she didn't tell him that the children died, and that's something that Zuko will never forgive her for anytime soon.

But despite all of that they love each other, so much that they would overlook all of that bad and instead live in the good that's still between them. They've hurt each other, they've both lied, they've both done wrong to the other and they drive each other crazy. But to Zuko, he still doesn't want to ever give up on what they have. He's never experienced anything like this with anyone before, not even Mai or anyone before her. What they have is special and he doesn't want to lose it again.

But they have a lot of things to work on, they have to.

He throws the thin blanket away from his body and goes to check on her. She's sleeping peacefully with her back to him, that bonnet thing that women wear to keep their hair in place at night is poofed up on her head, it looks uncomfortable to sleep with to Zuko.

He leans down and kisses her forehead, she doesn't even stir. Zuko pulls up the blankets more and turns her phone off, it's vibrating like crazy on the small nightstand besides the bed. He gives her one last look before he leaves out of the room to get some fresh air.

It's half past three in the morning and there's really no one on the hallway except for the nurse at the station that smiles tiredly at him when he passes her to get to the concession room. Hopefully there's still something left in them. Sokka came back with arms and pockets full of junk that he and Katara ate up in a matter of minutes. When he swings open the glass door to the room there's a black haired woman dressed in a t shirt and sweats in there, no older than he is, and she's got a newbie on her arm. The baby that she's holding is in a pink onesie and is fast asleep.

The woman's hands are full. She's trying to dig around in her purse for her money while trying to not drop her child. When she looks over her other shoulder at him her violet eyes are wide with shock and tiredness.

"I'm sorry." She laughs nervously. She takes the child off her shoulder. "Do you mind? It'll only be a second." She extends the pink bundle to him and Zuko looks unsurely at her. He's held Yukyra plenty of times when she was smaller but that was so long ago when she was that size and even then he was so nervous.

"Uh, sure." He carefully takes her and holds her at arms length. Sometimes babies like to spit up at all the wrong moments or throw up only God knows what. The woman finally finds her money and puts it into the machine to make her selection. The infant stirs in Zuko's hands but she doesn't wake up, that's good. It's strange holding a baby now. He think of what it would be like to hold his own and tuck them into their crib at night. Or to wake up to the sound of their crying at four in the morning because they're hungry or want to play. What college would they go to? What would they be when they grow up? Would they be allergic to anything? Would they look like more him or more like Katara? He doesn't really care, as long as they're healthy and strong.

"Thanks so much, she's really been giving me a run for my money these days." The woman says when she comes back and gently takes the infant. "sorry about that, they don't really have much in those machines and I'm kind of picky."

The words leave out his mouth before he can think them over. "How old is she? What's her name?"

"She's sixteen months, her name is Rose. When she was born she wouldn't stop blushing and smiling, so her father came up with the name." She smiles at the memory. "Is your wife expecting? I saw you two go into the maternal ward."

"She was threatening to miscarry earlier. She's fine now, hopefully she'll stay that way." He can only hope.

She gives him a sympathetic look. "This is your first one?"

"Third, actually. We've… lost two before, even though she was full term."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I had one myself, but that was years ago. I hope everything turns out okay for you two." She says over her as she's leaving out of the room. "I'm sure it will, all you need is some faith."

"Faith huh?" Zuko faintly repeats her words. He's never really even relied on faith before, but he's going to start.

**-**

The next morning Situ comes.

…and with a woman. Is it his sister or girlfriend? Maybe she's some distant relative. She does look almost exactly like him, except she appears to be more meeker and a tad shy. She's wearing shorts and a BSSU T shirt. Her hair is long and black, it goes past her waist and her eyes are the same color as Situ's. She doesn't speak much, she just waves and gives a small smile then she goes back to her iPad.

"Her and Aang are in there talking right now." As much as Zuko doesn't like that Aang us back here again Katara convinced him to let them speak to one another, and that was since eight the morning when visiting hours started. It's a quarter past ten now.

"What are they talking about like that? Are they trying to figure out why the sky and oceans are blue or some shit?" He heads to the door. The other girl looks up at him but doesn't say anything, she has a bit of a disapproving look on her youthful face.

Zuko grips onto his shoulder. "She said give them some alone time."

"He isn't the only one who wants to see her. I know they can't be talking about anything that dang important." He retorts lowly and pulls out of Zuko's hold. "the fuck?"

"You'll just have to wait." He's only been here less than five minutes and already Zuko is tired of his presence. It doesn't help much that he really didn't get any sleep last night. He was up thinking until Katara woke up. "I'm getting her out of here, she's going home for private care."

"Why?"

"Because she doesn't want to be cooped up in a hospital room where damn near anyone can get to her." Honestly, Zuko doesn't even feel like she's safe here. It's too open for one, plus there's not enough security. "She wants to go home."

"Why? So she can work herself to death?"

"Isn't it your fault that she's working so much?"

"It isn't me, it's her. I'm just doing what I have to do in order to get this done. Her hard working and this new project crap was all her idea, this is what she wants to do."

"Why don't you stop her?"

"If you can't stop her what in the hell makes you think that I can? What makes you think that anyone else can?"

He has a point there.

The door to the room opens and Aang walks out, he closes the door quietly behind him and comes over to the others. "Thanks for giving us a minute Zuko. Situ." Zuko doesn't reply to the boy. He's glad he's gone, good riddance.

Katara is on the edge of the bed and fully clothed, she's ready to go now and Zuko can see it on her face. At least now she doesn't almost look half dead, her skin is glowing again like it used to and her hair has it's natural shine back.

When Zuko'a helping her into her jack, which he doesn't know why she wants to wear one, Katara looks at the new comer. "Whose this?"

"My sister, who else is she going to be?" Situ responds dryly after he's done flipping through her chart. "Niya." She comes from the door smiling.

"Oh. It's nice to meet you." Zuko looks at her. She can't be this happy to see this girl can she? Maybe she's just getting her personality back. "We finally meet, he's told me so little about you."

"He really isn't much of a talker about his personal life." She says lightly.

"Well sometimes we can't get him to shut up." She mumbles back. She turns to Zuko then. "When is he going to bring my papers? In ready to go."

"Whenever he prints them up I guess."

That's when Situ tells her something that nearly sends her through the roof. "I canceled everything you have this week by the way."

She spins around on him. "Why would you want to do something like that?"

Now probably wasn't the best time to tell her something like that, and as they're in the mist of their argument the nurse creeps in with paperwork for Katara to sign, but she lets Zuko sign instead because obviously the expression on his fiancé's face is a tad scary. This time Zuko agrees completely with Situ. When they get home he's taking away her phone, her iPad, her desktop, and anything else electronic that she would be able to use to work. He knows he'll have to go as far as bolting his office doors, she'll have a field day if she ever gets into there.

Even though Zuko can tell that's he's still mad about Situ doing things without consulting her first, she still invites Nyia over sometimes, which makes Situ give her a low look.

She gives him a lazy look once they're in the car on the way home. "So you don't have any topics to bring up today?"

"What do you mean?" He knows what she's talking about but now he doesn't think that this is the best time for that. Last time wasn't the best time either. There's things to talk about but just not now. Now the only thing that she needs is rest. She doesn't answer, maybe she's given up. But Katara giving up on a possible fight?

Tch.

He intertwined his fingers with hers and rolls his thumb over her engagement ring, the one that he really isn't too fond of anymore. "Are you hungry?"

She sighs and leans her head back against the seat. "Of course I'm hungry. I'm always hungry."

"I hired you a chef so that you won't have to go out and get all those fatty and unhealthy foods." As a matter of fact he doesn't want her to leave the house at all. "They can cook anything you want. They'll be at the house in the morning. The nurse and the maid come tomorrow evening-"

Her head snaps in his direction. "A chef? A chef, a nurse… and a maid?"

"That's what i said."

"I guess that's a good thing. I got so tired of being in that hospital all that time."

"You were really in there over night."

"And it felt like an eternity. I don't feel like doing anything else but being in my bed."

"Tired?" She should be. The doctor slipped her a sleep inducing drug early this morning and then sent her with some home. It must be affecting her mood too. Her hand tightens around his and falls into her lap. Her other hand keeps Her head propped up on the door handle and she's seemingly falling asleep, when her hand loosens around his Zuko knows that she's gone under.

She barely wakes up when he's getting her out the car and gets her upstairs to their bedroom. She insists on putting herself in bed. When he comes back up from getting the rest of their things out of the car she's changing into more comfortable clothes. Lethargically, that is. Now Zuko can see a slight bulge in her stomach after she's taken off her jacket and shirt and he briefly wonders just how big she's going to get. Shouldn't they be bigger as the baby grows if this isn't the mothers first time?

He helps her back into bed and pulls her pants down her legs and tucks her in. She almost feels like dead weight, he tries to not think about it much.

"I'm not going without you." She moves the covers down to her waist, exposing her bronzen back to him. "Come to bed."

"I will. Later." There's still things that he has to do, and it's still kind of early. "Go to sleep Katara."

"No." She throws the covers back and they hit him in the face. "I just told you I'm not if you don't come with me."

"The doctor said that you need plenty of rest and nourishment-"

"-I know what that quack said."

"Then do it." He tries to lay her down but she pushes back up against his hand. "Quit being stubborn."

Katara drops back down into the bed with her back to him again, Zuko attempts to cover her back up again but she refuses. "So you don't want the cover?"

"No."

"You're going to get a cold." It's right At the end of September and the temperature drops pretty quickly around here since they live by bodies of water. "Katara."

"…"

When he leaves out of the room he makes sure to turn the thermostat down a notch and then goes on to handle his other duties. She can't be stubborn forever.

Yue stops by a little later on to check on Katara, whose now covered all the way up to her forehead in multiple blankets and comforters. Zuko knew his idea would work, he half expected her to get up and turn the heater on but she didn't. From his office he can see the temperature setting, and she didn't get up not once.

"Where's Sokka." It's more of a statement than a question. Yue looks up from the fruit that she's slicing and then slams the butcher knife down on poor pineapple again and again before she picks up one half and then slices the skin off.

"How do you expect me to know?"

"Because you're married."

"Is that what you call that?"

"The last time I checked, yes."

"Here's the deal." She smiles. "I don't talk to him. We don't sleep in the same bed and I try to avoid him as much as possible. Also-" she raises the knife and slams it down again. "When I see the slut that he committed adultery with-" chop. "-I'm going to beat the hell out of her little overly underdeveloped body until she's a bloody pulp."

"You sound like Katara."

"Being around her and your best friend damn near my entire life, where did you think I got it from?"

Yue really isn't the one to have a temper, much less resort to any act of violence. Well, that's how she was. They've all gone a little crazy since back then.

"Enough about me. What about you two?"

"What about us?"

"What isn't there about you two?" She snorts and drops some chopped up mango into the bowl of fruit she's making for Katara and then pours in yogurt.

"Katara doesn't like yogurt." Zuko reminds her.

She eats damn near half the bowl before she answers him. "This isn't for her, this is mine." She pours on more of the pink and chunky cream. "What are you two doing to do?"

"About what?"

"About the wedding and stuff. I heard about what you guys were saying in the hospital room."

"You were eavesdropping."

"Of course I was. What made you think I wasn't? But honestly, do you want my opinion?"

"You're going to give it rather or not I want it."

"Well of course I am." She fans her face and sits the bowl down. "Jesus Christ it's hot in here. I wish she hurries and wakes up." She exhales. "Anyway. I don't really think you two would be able to live without each other, it's almost sickening but it's so adorable at the same time."

"That's good to know." He responds as he runs his hand through his loose hair at the counter. "Is that all you've observed?"

"That's it's stupid what you said about her."

"What did I say?"

"How she's hiding things from you. Like, she isn't over a lot of things. Yeah, I heard it."

"…We didn't really talk about anything. One thing just led to another." Zuko nervously glances over his shoulder at the doorway to the kitchen. "She's acting like nothing happened. She's in denial."

"Yeah." Zuko quietly agrees with her. "Maybe she is."

Katara wakes up as soon as he goes back upstairs again. When she wakes up she's so thirsty, Zuko thinks that she's went through every single bottle of juice and cold drink that they have in the ice box. She's more refreshed now and she might just be up all night, hopefully not. He'd forgotten to go and get her prescription filled earlier, he still had some loose ends that he had to tie up.

He watches her fill the tub up with water and bubbles. "I guess you aren't going back to sleep then."

"Hopefully I do. I can't be staying up all night." She looks up at him from the edge of the ornate tub. "Yue left?"

"Finally, after she ate up everything."

"And Sokka?"

"He said that he was busy with Yukyra when he called after Yue left." He doesn't tell her what Yue said about her and Sokka. "How'd you know that she was here?"

"Her voice is hard to ignore. I heard jut about everything."

"Just about?"

"I went to sleep sometime during it. Just to let you two know, I'm not in any denial."

"Then what are you in?"

"Purgatory."

"Purgatory." He repeats in confusion. "Just what type of purgatory are you talking about?"

"Emotional."

"Explain that." She almost doesn't need to explain it. He helps her undress and get into the warm water, moving her hair back behind her shoulders for her. Everything below her neck is covered by the millions of bubbles that were made from the cherry and cinnamon bath soaps she poured in. Laying her head back against the neck roll and staring up at the ceiling. She opens her mouth to say something but then she closes it back and sinks more into the water until her nose is just above it.

He sticks his hand into the water and finds hers, not caring that his sleeve is getting all wet up. "What do you want to do?"

"What do you mean? Do about what?"

"About us." He half whispers. "About the baby, about everything."

Her hand tightens around his under the water. "I want everything. I need the both of you."

"Just like I need you two." It's been way more than two years now. It's not easy to say that they've been through more than their share of drama, fights, breakups, and other bull in this city.

This city.

That's what it is.

They need a getaway.

"The day after tomorrow we'll go to Ember Island. We can stay as long as you want to." She's only ever been once or twice. One time was when she miraculously popped up when Kenshin was working for him, and he guesses that the other time was when she was busy working on that tour. She's ever really had a chance to be there and really become a part of the island, like his uncle says.

"I've never really had the chance to look around. I'd love to, it would be nice to get away from here. Zuko, but why Ember Island?"

"Because it's a magical island." After he wipes away the tear stains from her face with a nearby towel he moves the stray hairs out of her face. "It cleanses people and brings them closer together, reveals who they really are."

"You think…" she breathes in. "You think everything will be better?"

He pauses for a moment and then he looks at her surely. "It'll get better, everything will be fine. I promise."

**.0.**

_**Hopefully ember island will help them get through everything they've endured over time.  
>Zuko's finally found something to have, hope and faith. It was almost something that he didn't believe in before. Plus, he hasn't forgiven Katara for what she did yet even though she feels terrible about it. For her, that's not something that she'll just be able to get over. Since Zuko didn't know and he's always wanted children he's more sore about the whole thing. This chapter revealed a lot of confusion and stuff, a lot of things weren't discussed and there were a lot of open areas where Katara and Zuko really didn't discuss anything. They just kinda got back together. :\ so, Ember Island is their getaway to hopefully resolution. At least they aren't giving up on each other.<strong>_

**I hope I did good on this one.**

**Anyways.**

**Read and review.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Story Title**: I Won't Let You Go

**Author**: XxToToXx

**Full summary**:

**(A-N) before we start I wanna clear up the upcoming confusion about Yukyra's age. She's eleven months now, I decided to fix things before you all got confused. Katara just made three months, and Yue is two. **

**ALSO: okay, I know I did this in the last chapter as well but it's really bothering me and the news isn't making it any better. 200,000 people were killed in an attack by the boko haram group in Africa. In Syria children are starving to death, being dismembered, raped, killed and I just find it horrible. Not only them, but Paris, ferguson, Massachusetts, Iraq… it's not just withheld in these cities and countries. We shouldn't be separated like this, something has to be done. Personally, I don't care about someone's race or their religion (as long as it isn't satanism) it's about a persons heart. It's just sad because nothing's being done about it. So all we can do is pray. This isn't how the world is supposed to be. **

**Ten**

Katara is not leaving Zuko, she doesn't care what anyone says. She's not getting an abortion and she's not about to sit around moping like a depressed pixie. For the rest of these months. Today she made three months, now it's just six more to go. Luckily, next month she'll be able to find out what she's having. The healers in the south are coming down special for her, mostly because she's Hakoda's daughter. They've been waiting on Kya and Hakoda's child to become a mother ever since she was fifteen.

Back then she didn't know what wide birthing hips meant, but… now she does.

Today she's pushing all negativity and doubt behind and she's looking forward to brighter things. She's in the process of choosing cribs now, she wants a big one. She wants one that's big enough for both her and the baby to sleep in comfortably. In a little while she's going to go and get blankets and teddy bears and things like that with Yue, whose pregnant again.

She's two months, she was with child before the Sokka and Suki thing.

The woman on the sofa across from her clears her throat and Katara's head snaps up. She totally forgot that she was evaluating the chef that came earlier on. She really doesn't feel like doing it. Zuko should've done it when he hired her. She'd much rather be in the baby stores now buying cute little unisex shoes and clothes.

"I'm sorry about that." She says to the woman as she lays her notebook down on the sofa besides her. "So uh…" where does she start? She isn't too good at giving interviews. "What all do you cook?"

"Mr. Agni has already given me a complete booklet of the foods you favor and don't favor, along with fruits, deserts, and meats." She says rather professionally. Well professionally is exactly the way that she looks. Her hair is her black except for the long strips of gray, and pulled into a chignon, but despite her graying hair her face is quite youthful.

Her bright green eyes are full of security and humbleness, her skin is milky and tight, there's no sagging from what Katara can see. She's wearing a long sleeves burgundy shirt and a beige colored high waisted skirt. A golden watch is on her wrist and boy, does it look expensive.

"I have experience in preparing all types of dishes, even southern and northern quality." She continues. "Mr. Agni has also informed me of your pregnancy, I'll make sure to provide nothing but the freshest fruits and vegetables."

Vegetables? She doesn't like vegetables. She hates them.

"Do you have any children?" Since she's going to be working here Katara may as well try and get to know her, she's going to be here just about everyday.

"I have three boys; ages thirteen, fifteen, and eighteen."

"Oh." She says. "Do they have daycare or something that they go to while you'll be at work?"

"my oldest is away in college right now studying medicine. My fifteen and thirteen year olds don't get out of class until three thirty, and have after school tutoring and sports practice until seven."

"How long are you supposed to be here for?"

"For breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

"But it would interfere with getting your children."

"They're understanding enough about my work."

"And your husband?"

"I'm divorced."

"So do you start today or…?"

"Mr. Agni has assigned me to work today, immediately before you depart to Ember Island." Today? They have nothing in this house to cook. But still, the schedule that Zuko has arranged for her is cutting into the woman's own time. He probably didn't even stop to ask her any questions like those.

"If it works for you, in the morning times you can just cook and leave whenever your ready, even though I don't really eat breakfast. I don't wake up that early anyways, Zuko's always looking for breakfast. You can do that with lunch too, or you can just cook everything up so you can be at home the rest of the day."

At her words the woman, whose name is Xing, looks surprised. "But Mr. Agni said to be-"

"-_Zuko_ doesn't run this household. Whichever times and strategies are convenient for you. As long as it's something we can heat up I'm sure it'll be fine."

"If that's what you prefer."

"You don't have to stay today if you don't want to. I have things to do anyway." She stands and the woman stands along with her. "We won't be back from Ember Island until next week. I think that we can handle ourselves for one day."

"Are you sure?" Xing asks again. "It would not take much for a small preparation."

"I'm sure, it's okay. I can just pick up something later on. Zuko is staying late tonight anyway, he's making sure he has everything covered before tomorrow."

When she walks Xing to the door she asks again if she's sure that she isn't needed. She's just not trying to anger Mr. Agni, Katara doesn't know why. She still sends her away, but Katara is going to make sure that she's paid anyway.

She doesn't have to meet Yue and Toph until later on this evening, so that gives her more than enough time to go to the local herbal shop, owned by her godmother, Hama. She's from the Southern Water Tribe and has watched over Katara for as long as she could remember. No one really knows why she left her snowy homeland. She never even talks about it, but who wouldn't want to leave that place?

Her herbal shop is located at the edge of the city, luckily it's in the less populated area. It looks almost like a cottage with all the decorations and special yard work. There's s garden in the back where she grows everything. She never was one to buy any vegetables or other plants out of the stores, she doesn't trust them too much.

The door is unlocked when she makes it there, making sure to hold onto the wooden railing just in case she falls. Hama is seated behind the counter in her traditional white robes, her long grey hair is up in a partial topknot with a golden band around it and she's smiling gingerly at her.

"It's been a while, Katara." She gets down from the stool behind the counter and comes around to hug her. Katara has to leans down since Hama is way shorter than her. Her scent of fresh water and jasmine bring back so many memories.

"Over two years." She replies. "I almost thought that you would've closed down by now."

"Ha!" She goes back around the counter and pulls out three medium sized jars, all filled with some type of herb. "I talked to Hakoda. When were you going to tell me about the children?"

She picks up one of the jars and opens it. It smells weird. She screws the lid back on. "It's not really something that I like talking about."

"I'm sure that it caused a great deal of depression. Your mother almost lost you."

"Seriously?"

"But that was in her early stages of pregnancy. Now Sokka was strong even tough he isn't too bright." She laughs lightly and pushes the jars forward. "You were sick as an infant, your parents never told you?"

"No, not that I recall. What was wrong with me?"

"You wouldn't breathe on your own. They kept you in the hospital for over a month, you wouldn't tolerate the milk and you kept a fever. Such a weak child, but look at you now."

Katara never heard her parents talk about her being sick. Maybe that has a lot to do with what's going on now. Why hadn't they ever told her? Sokka didn't even say anything.

She pulls in a shaky breath. "My doctor said that its a good chance I won't be able to have this baby and live. But I don't believe that not one bit."

"which is why you're here, to get real professional help. What does that quack know anyway? I've delivered hundreds of children in my day and I've seen it all." Hama states proudly with a rise of her head. "Have you decided on whether you want a traditional birth or not yet?"

A traditional birth actually means an old fashioned birth. There'd be no hospital rooms, no IV, no nothing really. Katara doesn't think that's too safe, she wants to take every precaution that she can just in case the worst does happen. If she were to chose a traditional birth that would mean she would have to go to the South Pole and have the baby there. There's no way she's going out in that blistering weather.

When she remembers that Hama is still waiting on an answer she shakes her head and shrugs. "I think I'd much rather be in a hospital."

"I understand. And have you chosen the godmother and godfather of the child? Are you going to be marrying this boy?" By this boy she means Zuko. Hama really doesn't like Zuko for to say she's never been around him to get to know him. She won't be easing up on the questions anytime soon either. Can you blame her? They have a lot of catching up to do.

"I don't know about any godparents yet. Our wedding is actually going to be in two months time, I know it's a short amount of time but why wait? We've waited long enough."

"And what does he do?"

"Excuse me?"

"His occupation, Katara." She half snaps.

"He's the Uh… he's the CEO of his father's company."

"So he _does_ make enough money to support you and the child then?"

"He does."

"And this is your second pregnancy?"

"My third."

"You're a veteran mother then?"

"What does that mean?"

Hama sighs and cracks her knuckles. "You've been pregnant and have conceived before."

"Oh." She didn't know that there was actually a word for that. "Yeah, how long before I start feeling anything? You know like kicking and stuff."

"How long are you now?"

"I just made three months today."

"Probably next month. Some veteran mothers can feel as early as three months. In most cases water bending women can feel more movements than a nonbending woman."

"I forgot about that." She did, her mind has been everywhere lately. "I can't wait to find out what we're having. I'm going to get cribs and things today. I know it's early but I can't wait." She's going to love fixing up the baby's room with everything that they would ever want. What's going to make it even more special is that she's going to be doing it with Zuko.

He's never felt their baby kick before. He wasn't there to cut the umbilical cord, he wasn't in the delivery room, he never held their babies before, or was there for anything else. But now he is, and now they're going to do everything the right way.

She's really supposed to be getting things for their vacation, she is, but she's still going to pick up things for the baby too. Why wouldn't she?

"Do you think you're having a boy or a girl?"

"I don't know yet. I'd actually be happy either way." She checks her wrist watch and winces at the time. "I'm sorry Hama, I really have to go. I'm supposed to be meeting Yue at the mall. She's pregnant again you know?"

"Arnook's daughter?"

"Yeah, you remember her."

"How can anyone forget _that_?" Hama really isn't too fond of Yue. Underneath all of the sassy remarks she's a sweet, loyal, caring and genuine person. It just takes a little time to get to all that.

Katara still hasn't got used to her though.

"So I just take these everyday? They aren't nasty are they?" What's the use of taking them if she's only going to throw them up afterwards?

"Of course they're disgusting!

Katara examines the jar unsurely. "Well I don't think-"

"-You don't want them because they're nasty tasting? They help promote a stable birth, they'll make you healthy and strong. You need to gain weight, you're nothing but skin and bone."

"If it makes you feel better I'll eat or drink _all_ of this stuff." She probably won't. "And I'll get my weight back up again."

Hama looks pleased. "Good luck Katara."

She's really gonna need it anyway.

**.0.**

"Do you think it's a boy or a girl? What if it's twins again?" Yue stops in the middle of the food court. "What if it's triplets?"

"It wouldn't matter to me."

"Girls are way more fun than boys. I've always wanted a girl but Yukyra is more attached to Sokka than she is to me."

"I wonder why."

"What do you mean?"

Katara doesn't respond for a while. "What do you do with Yukyra besides dressing her up like a baby diva?"

"I do lots of stuff with her."

"Like?"

"We go shopping together. We go out to eat together and things like that."

"What about playing with her, having story time and playing make believe? Or do you take her to the water park or anything and actually play with her?"

"Shit no."

"Yue." Katara rubs her forehead in frustration. "Being a parent isn't about the material things, it's about all the love and one spent and forming an actual bond with your child."

"Oh, so I guess that's why she's more into Sokka than she is me."

"Of course that's why!"

"Ouch." Yue frowns and they continue walking again. "Well that hurts, knowing I'm a bad parent and all."

"You aren't a bad parent, you're just bad at parenting."

"That makes it so much better, thank you Katara."

"No seriously, you don't spend any quality time with her."

"Yes I do."

"Yue, Sokka takes off from work sometimes just so that he can be with her. I've seen him give her piggy back rides and play dress up with her. And then she's only eleven months old, I bet she doesn't even know what all that stuff is, but it's the thought about it all and the memories that count."

"Sokka's better than me at this parenting stuff, I get it."

"Well that's true but maybe you should start being more in depth with her."

"How?"

"I don't know, use your imagination. Her birthday is next month you'll think of something by then."

"She's going to be one." Yue says dreamily. "Time really flies by, and before you know it we'll be shipping her off to college."

"I know."

Yue nudges her with her elbow. "So what about you?"

"What about me?" She stops walking when someone comes up to her for her to sign something. She was half hoping that no one would recognize her with her hair up and the dark sunglasses she's wearing.

"Have you talked to your doctor again?" She asks as they enter her favorite clothing store. "What about Caesarean section?"

"I can't get cut open. You know that's against our customs." Every tribeswoman has had a vaginal birth, even her mother and grandmother. It's just one of those religious things that has to be done or you shame yourself for being weak. Katara never really understood it until now. It takes strength and determination to have a child, you have to be a strong and strong willed woman to bring life to this earth and please the spirits of the tribe with the new addition. If she were to just lay there and get put to sleep while they cut the baby out, still, she doesn't know what's going to happen.

She doesn't have a lot of blood in her body for starters, and during c sections you lose a lot of blood. But if she were to go into labor before she chose to have the surgery, that's if she chooses, and can't get medical attention fast enough then she'll _have_ to do a vaginal birth. That's another thing, what if it's born prematurely? That's something she hasn't thought about yet.

When she was pregnant with the twins she did vaginal. They were still born but she did make it through the pregnancy, even though she's not over it. She doesn't think that she'll ever be over it. One day she'll show Zuko what she did, but now isn't the right time.

Maybe they can see it together, hopefully.

She examines a pair of pants that's folded neatly besides a mannequin. "I'm having a natural, vaginal, traditional birth and I'm going stay alive from it and be with my family."

"You sound hopeful."

"Yeah, right now all I have is hope." She moves through the stack until she finds her size and she gets a pair in every color. She gets some a few sizes big, but only because she's going to bloat up soon.

"You'll be fine. You've survived everything else. Have you decided on the wedding colors?"

"Red, gold, a hint of cream." There's no way that she's going to make this wedding all about her. Zuko has a say so in it too. But she still thinks that the red and gold would be beautiful. Maybe she can have an engagement party and make those colors blue and gold instead of for the wedding. Yeah, she'll go with the red for the wedding, she can see it now, it'll be jaw dropping.

She's changed her mind like a hundred times already but this time she's sure. It's the red, gold, and cream.

"Look at this." Yue holds up a pink and white lace sundress. "Isn't it cute!"

"You know good and damn well you can't fit into that."

"Yes I can!"

"You're going to be as big as a house in the next two months."

"No I'm not." She objects. "And there aren't any good maternal clothing stores here anyway."

"Just get some sweat pants and stuff."

"That's hilarious!"

Katara doesn't see what's funny honestly. After hours they finally leave the mall with way more than they intended to get. Katara got what she went for, her beach clothing and even some unisex outfits and shoes for the baby. Yue went overboard, so convinced that she's going to have another daughter for Yukyra to play with.

"Promise me you'll at least try and talk to Sokka, and not threaten him."

"I won't make any promises." Yue states curtly after she adjusts her sunglasses. Then she speeds ok out of the parking lot b

When she parts ways with Yue she goes straight to the furniture store, which she hasn't been in in years. She knows that she may be rushing things a little bit but she didn't get a chance to do this the last time.

As soon as she walks into the store a worker greets her immediately. His name tag says Fin and she has to look up to talk to him since he's at least six feet tall.

"I need a baby crib. I don't really know -and what's this?" She walks over to a funny looking sofa when it catches her eye. It's in the shape of an "O" but it hardly sits up from the floor. It's closed in and cushioned with a mat set in the center of it. It's pretty big too, whatever it is.

"It's a baby play pen. Every thing is soft so that if they fall they won't get hurt. The seats are made for the parents just in case they want to get in here with them." He explains, almost excitedly. "We have one in every color if you're interested."

"I don't even know what I'm having so I can choose a paint color."

"Paint? We have that!" He leads her through the busy store to a back wall that's lined with an array of different colors. There's so many she doesn't know where to even begin. The floors in the bedroom next to theirs at home are dark hardwood floors. A pretty grey may work since she doesn't want green. Yellow is completely out of the question, red? Jesus no. It's a baby for goodness sake. Purple is just a no and this brown is yuck, but this royal blue and gold is so beautiful together. Maybe they can rip up the floors and put down some carpet. She doesn't want the baby to fall and hurt themselves. But then again maybe not, they can just put some rugs down.

The worker helps her look. "What theme are you aiming for?"

"Princess or prince. Whatever, I want something that'll go both ways." She takes the royal blue paint sample and matches it up against a shimmering gold. No. She chooses the navy blue instead, perfect!

"King of antiquish? A bit of royalty to it?"

"Exactly! With creamish crown molding." When he or she gets older they can always change the style of the room if they want to.

"How many cans of paint will you need?"

"Six should be enough. It's a big room, plus the bathroom too." She gives him the navy blue paint color ticket, along with the golden color for the border and goes into the back to get her selections. She picks out the matching blue carpet as well, and even finds a golden chandelier.

She chooses a sleigh crib and gets the biggest one that they have so that she'd be able to sleep in there too. She chooses the matching changing table, rocking chair, wardrobe closet, and book case. She even gets a toy chest to put all of the babies toys in.

She couldn't pass up the matching armoire and dresser either. All the furniture is cream colored with golden handles. The play pen is perfect, it's safe and it's beyond adorable. She just just about everything for right now, she'll get more stuff once she finds out what she's having.

Fin tells her that her furniture will be delivered the day after they return from Ember Island, but she's still able to take the paint with her.

As soon as she makes it home and hauls in the paint cans she has to rush into the bathroom. She almost vomited in the middle of the kitchen floor, something that she hates cleaning up. She's had sickness before but it wasn't drawn out until her third month.

She's packing up the last of their things when Zuko comes home later on that night.

When he sees her stuffing more clothes into the suitcase than it can hold he sits on it so that it can close properly. "You've been packing all day?"

"No. I went and got some furniture for the babies room."

"What kind of furniture?"

"Everything just about." She starts in on the next suitcase. "I got the paint too so that we can paint the room."

"You don't even know what you're having."

"That doesn't matter if it's a unisex. I got royal blue and gold for the walls and stuff."

"Blue isn't really a girls color Katara."

"Says who?"

"Says anyone."

"Quit being so traditional." Just as she's folding a long sheer skirt to put in the suitcase she pauses in realization. Her hand flies to her stomach. She can't feel anything. No matter what direction she swipes her hand, she can't feel the other heartbeat at all. Then she starts to panic all over again.

Zuko goes into alert as well. "What wrong." He stands form the bed and comes around it to her. "What's-"

"-I can't find it." She says with tears in her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't find the baby!"

"What do you mean you can't understand it? It's supposed to be in there!" His hands shoot out to hers and moves them over the bottom part of her stomach, he's on his knees now, just as worried as she is. And her tears fall on top of his head. There's no way this could be happening again, there's just no way. She's been doing everything that's she's supposed to do. She's even drank those disgusting herbal mixtures that Hama gave her!

When Zuko leads her hands at the very top part of her stomach she can feel the slightest movement, and then a firm jerk. "Wait." Zuko doesn't move again, and Katara feels the tiny heartbeat. "It's still here." She puts his hand at the top of her stomach. "Right here."

"I don't feel anything. If it's still here you aren't far along enough to feel a kick or anything." He tells her. "I can't…" a sharp kick comes and he retracts his hand. Katara grabs it and puts it back. There's a nervous expression on his face that clearly tells her he isn't used to this type of thing.

"It kicked." He says in wonder. "It kicked." He stays like the for almost the rest of the night, on his knees with his hands planted on her stomach, waiting for another little kick or shove or push.

And honestly, seeing Zuko as happy as is he now only gives her more reason to fight to successfully have their child. She's broken his heart before, she isn't going to break it again.

**.0.**

**Honestly, I'm not too happy with this chapter but at least Katara is sure that she's going to be around for their baby. Read and review. DONT FORGET! To all those who like Give Me Love but don't follow the story, I've updated it! I suggest you all make accounts so that you can keep up! See you all in TWO WEEKS! I'll make up for this chapter in the next chapter. **

**And also, go check out Lullabies and Riffs!**

**Read and Review! **


	12. Chapter 12

**This story is discontinued. Sorry. Won't be working on This anymore until further notice, for the lack of interest and motivation on my part. **

**Give Me Love is still going to go on. **

**If you have any questions or concerns you can PM me. **

**its nothing personal, i just have to work on my bad writing skills, i appreciate all the good comments and reviews on it but i know i have to work on it to do better. So i wont feel bad if you unfollow this story. **

**XxToToXx**


	13. Chapter 14

**Story Title**: I Won't Let You Go

**Author**: XxToToXx

**Full summary: **

**(A:N) thank you all for waiting so patiently! So guess what? I tried really hard on this chapter. Do you see how long it took for me post? Do you see how many words this is? Give me feedback for this chapter, cause Lord knows I need it. Th good and the bad. I encourage everyone to make an account, that way you can follow Give Me Love and not miss out on anything. **

**Now, okay. Please go and check out Nirvana, it's a little darker so it's for mature audiences only. It's got a bit of a 50 Shades of Grey feel to it. I really hope you all liked it I've spent a lot of time up day and night perfecting my writing skills. Also, I'm not too good with avatar time fics but I wanna try another one after this story is done which won't be until the summer or fall Time maybe. **

**I know it's a lot I'm loading on you guys but I found so many mistakes in my stories and was like "my readers must not see this crap, let me hurry and straighten this out for them!" That's why I took down Rise from the Ashes. It was just effed up completely. So many spelling errors, grammar errors, the plot kept getting twisted too much and theres just so much more that really turned me off of it. I actually think that the first I Won't Give Up should've been a hell of a lot longer, that's one mistake I make. I always shut things down too soon, I don't read over them like I'm supposed to, and I start projects and then I don't finish them. **

**Well guess what? **

**IM NEVER STOPPING ANOTHER STORY! Everything I START I will FINISH! **

**I'm gonna take these reviews, the good and the bad and the ugly and turn them into something positive! **

**I love writing, it's so so many zutara ideas in my head floating around at one time. But believe me, I'm going to be the best at what I do. **

**So, I want to thank all of my followers, both old and new. I wanna think everyone for their honest opinions and motivating me and loving my stories too! **

**I hated to have you all waiting so long, but I had to make this just right! **

**Enjoy! **

**And if you all have any special requests on anything you can run them by me anytime. The most stories that I work on are three at time. I wanna do a avatar time fanfic but… I don't think I'm ready. **

**I'm feeling super today, like when Katara was on that stage on the forth of July. Lmao. **

**Eleven **

"Will you quit being a pain?" Zuko asks at the airport early the next morning. "You've been complaining since we left the house!"

Katara whips around on him and slaps him in the face with her hair in the process. The "Probably because you woke me up three hours early for practically nothing and I couldn't even get my damned sleep like I was supposed to!"

"I told you to go to sleep early because we'd have to get up early to catch the plane!"

"I was trying to go to sleep but you don't know how to shut up!"

"All you had to do was say 'Zuko, I'm trying to go to sleep!' But you didn't do that now did you? No! You stayed up all night on your own!" He lightly pushes her aside so that he can have more room. She shoves him back but moves anyway.

"I don't have time for you and your childish antics this morning! It's not even eight o'clock yet, it isn't even seven thirty! I don't wanna hear this!" Katara pulls her sunglasses down over her eyes and throws her hood over her head. "You can't be mad at me over what you did!"

"I didn't do anything it's your fault that we were almost late!"

"How can you wake me up this early and expect me to do ten things at one time?" She shouts back and shoves him again. "Just shut up!" She finally gets up and secludes herself

"We're already fighting and we haven't even gotten there yet." Zuko looks out of the window of his own private jet, the sun is just now coming up. He _would_ tell her to come and see it, but he's not. Let her be stubborn and childish.

"Because that's what we do, we fight! We fight damn near everyday!"

"Well you must enjoy it."

"Fuck off, arrogant bastard."

And Zuko laughs."You can't blame your fucked up hormones on me Katara." Even though Zuko knows

"I didn't say I did! You're the one who said that we're already fighting!"

"Whatever Katara." He rubs his forehead.

"Right."

"Arrogant son of a bitch.…"

"It's the same things always! You tell me how I'm an arrogant son of a bitch and I tell you when you're being a pain in the ass! Which you are, most of the time. I'm not afraid to hurt your feelings, you have like a two-second rebound rate and you're back doing the next pain in the ass thing!"

"I'm not scared to hurt your feelings either!"

"We all know that."

"You know what?" She unstraps herself from the seat and stands, making more noise than necessary. "I'm going to sleep, and hopefully by the time I wake up we'll be on that damned island." She stomps off into the back chamber, then returns seconds later for the tray of food she had earlier before she stomps back off again.

She'll never change, that's what Zuko loves the most about her. No matter how many autographs people beg for her to sign or how many records she sells, she'll always be the same spitfire who just has to get the last word in that he'd met so long ago. Who would they be without fights? Just some normal problematic couple who bites their tongue around each other and let's everything slide.

They could never be that.

Mostly with Katara whatever comes up comes out, and Zuko tells her what he does because if he doesn't she'd be mad at him for going easy on her. They're complicated and messy but it's worth it.

They stayed up all night talking, she acts like she's so mad about it but Zuko already knows how much she enjoyed it. That pregnancy hormonal thing is just getting to her and she doesn't know how to feel. In about a half an hour they'll be right back in each other's faces like nothing ever even happened.

"You won't be able to go to sleep because we'll be there soon." He looks over his shoulder into the bedroom. "By the time you get situated we'll be landing."

"Is it a hotel?"

"A beach house."

"What happened to your other vacation vacation home?"

"I sold it."

"When?" She asks.

"When you were galavanting across the world."

He hears her curse and gets up. Once he's in the bedroom he notices that she isn't even in the bed at all. She's standing straight up with her laptop in her hands and staring at the screen disdainfully

"I cannot believe this." She tosses it down onto the bed. "They don't know what they're talking about."

"Who doesn't?"

"The critics." She gestures to the computer and then looks at him carefully. "They don't think my last single was good enough for them."

"I thought you sold over a million in one week."

"I did but that doesn't stop them from giving it low ratings. Do you even read the stuff they put on the Internet?" She cuts her eyes at him when he doesn't answer her right away.

"Of course I don't. That stuff isn't even true most of the time, I believe what you tell me…" Even though he hasn't been doing that lately.

"Yeah. I bet you do." She says sarcastically as she gets into the bed and covers her head up. Zuko leaves her alone for the rest of the trip. Instead of racking his brains out trying to make her feel better about her records he does some more of own work.

He can't let everything pile up for a week straight. If he does as soon as he gets back to the office he's going to be swamped for God knows how long. He would've gave it all to Lu Ten for him to do it but he was only going to decline. He's about to quit anyway to go and tour the world and find who he really is, whatever the hell that means.

He ends up searching Katara's name once he gets bored of answering corporate emails, he doesn't usually listen to what tabloids and other gossipers say but he still wants to know what alls been going on. He did it once when she still gone and he didn't hear anything from her for twenty months. When he saw that she was involved with Situ he let her go, well sort of, and started dating her cousin, which he regrets terribly.

He really _shouldn't_ have done that.

Anyway, there's nothing much that comes up about her. She won some awards, there's the little rumor about her and Situ that turned out to be false. Then there's the time when the public thought that her and Jet were back together. There's even photos of them at the beach. What's even weirder about that Is they look _happy_.

There are some links about her battling depression before she came back, another thing that he didn't know about. He digs deeper until he finds an in-depth interview with someone named Fong Lui that she did at a radio station. He clicks on it to hear it but there isn't any video, it's only talking. It's twenty minutes long and Zuko has to refresh the website three times before it begins to play.

**Fong Lui**: _Today we have the very beautiful and talented Katara Khalan on the set with us, and would you look at the rock on her finger? So I take it that you and your fiancé are still going to tie the knot_?

**Katara**: _actually no, the wedding has been called off. _

**Fong Lui**: _why? What happened? We were all rooting for you two! And if any of you didn't know, Ms. Khalan is, or was, dating Republic City's most eligible bachelor Zuko Agni_.

**Katara**: _I don't know myself actually, but everything happens for a reason and who am I to question those reasons_?

**Fong Lui**: _Did you know that there are fan clubs all around the world that actually want you two together?_

**Katara**: _I didn't know, but I know that there's groups of women who really didn't want us together. _

**Fong Lui**: _Do you two have any plans on getting back together in the future?_

**Katara**: _No, we don't_.

**Fong Lui**: _was the breakup messy or was it one of those breakups where it's a little too calm and collected?_

**Katara**: _oh, it was beyond messy. I won't sit here and lie about that. *laughs*_

**Fong Lui**: _Have you two spoken since the breakup or are you two at that 'fuck that bitch' and 'fuck that asshole' stage_.

**Katara**: _no, we haven't spoken but at the same time we aren't at that stage. Right now we're just strangers with memories_.

**Fong Lui**: _I hear that. As of right now our billion dollar man currently is still single but has been seen with numerous women. But I wouldn't worry about it too much because I'm a guy, I've been through the whole breakup stage. There's a good chance that they're just all rebounds. _

How could they know about that when their station is way In Omashu? That's why he hates the media.

**Fong Lui**: _now the internets buzzing with accusations that you and your current manager-_

**Katara**: _it's not true. It never got deeper than it already is. It's been kept professional_.

**Fong Lui**: _so you've heard the pregnancy rumors as well?_

**Katara**: _Of course I have. That's not true either, I don't know where people get all of this stuff from. But I mean when you're in this type of business you have to deal with things like this. _

**Fong Lui**: _is it true that there have been some confrontations between you, Situ, and Zuko? _

**Katara**: _Yes, that's true. There have been quite a number actually_.

**Fong Lui**: _Do you see yourself and Zuko ever getting back together again? Maybe years from now after all of this is settled and over and done with? _

**Katara**; _I don't. We are never getting back together. _

"We'll be landing in a few, Mr. Agni." The flight attendant says after she peeks her head in. "Did you need any services?"

"No." His tone comes off gruffer than usual even though that's not how he intended it to be. The woman disappears before he can apologize. He closes down the computer and unstraps himself from the seat. He never should have listened to that interview, now it's going to be all he thinks about for this entire week.

"What's your problem?" Katara pops up in the chamber when he's standing from the seat. Zuko knew she wasn't asleep, she probably heard everything that he did. She pulls back the blinds and looks out at the scenery.

He doesn't answer right away, he waits until they've landed. "Are you ready? I don't plan on being on an idle plans all day and night." He holds his hand out for her to take but she only brushes past it and heads out the open door. They don't say anything to each other, not even when they reach the hotel and check into their lavish suite, and now even as they're checking their bags to make sure that everything's there they're silent.

Zuko can feel her eyes on him when he's unpacking. She's taking off her rings and bracelet and earrings and puts them on the night stand. "I can't find my ring." Says urgently.

"What ring?"

"My _engagement_ ring!" She throws out all of the clothe from her suitcases and sifts through them like a wild and rabid cannibal woman. "I know for a fact I slept with it on last night."

"When did you take it off?"

"This morning in the shower… but I know I put it back on!"

"Are you sure?"

"You don't sound too concerned about it." Actually he isn't concerned about it. He doesn't care about the ring at all. He doesn't care how much she's whining about it and going into hysterics about it. It's only when she starts taking with a tantrum, on the verge of tears and throwing things that Zuko decides to intervene.

"I didn't know it meant that much to you."

"Of course it means a lot to me." She throws up her hands and glares at him. "It's my _engagement_ ring!"

"It'll turn up soon probably." Her yelling and throwing things doesn't phase him. He's used to it and since she's pregnant she's going to have mood swings it's probably going to be a lot worse.

He's seen her worse than this. He's seen her ready to fight people, cursing people out, losing her temper… he's seen her at her worst state and he's accepted that.

A crack of thunder is heard, and she jumps from it. Now it's raining hard. That figures. Something would go wrong when he's trying to do something right. The weather reporters never know what they're talking about, it was supposed hind sunny today and in the mid seventies. It's grey outside and pouring down raining, how are they going to enjoy the island when it's like this?

Katara moves with slumped shoulders. Her head is in her hands now as she sits on the edge of the bed. Her shoulders shake. "I want my engagement ring!"

"Why did you keep it?"

"what?"

"I asked you why did you keep the ring? Why didn't you sell it or throw it away?" He comes around the bed and sits besides her. "Why did you put it back on?" He takes her hands off her face and looks at her closely. She wasn't crying but she was on the verge to do so.

"I stopped wearing it but I'd never get rid of it."

"Just don't worry about it."

"How can you even think like that?"

"It's just a ring. I can get you another one."

"I don't want another ring!"

"Why not?" He asks. "What's so special about that one anyway?"

"A lot of things!"

"Like what?"

"Nothing." She stands up and picks up all of the clothes that she threw about during her miniature episode. "Nothing at all." Her tone is finalizing and Zuko chooses not to press the issue.

While she's showering he listens to her other interviews. One in particular made him rethink a few things from the past. She did this one while she was in Omashu at some radio station, and on this one she actually sounded happy. It's dated January twentieth, a little bit under a month of the time that she'd left.

The water in the bathroom stops and he can hear it running down the drain. That doesn't make him stop his current task though. Zuko knows that as after she eats and gets into that bed shes going to go straight to sleep, even if it is in the early evening time. It's raining outside and it's dark, her favorite sleep weather.

After listening to the interview Katara told the radio personality, whose name is Jia De, that the pregnancy rumors were all false.

"Are you crazy? I never want to have children." Katara had said. "I just don't have time to be settled down playing the happy little mother and wife role right now."

At that time though she really was pregnant. Personally, Zuko thinks that she shouldn't have hid it the way she did. When he thinks about how she was pregnant with his children and was on stage still doing all those wild dance moves and exerting herself it makes him furious all over. So he closes down his laptop and stares at it like it has the answers what he needs. Zuko knows that no one has the answers what he needs, not even Iroh, who knows just about everything.

She could've let him known something. Just because they weren't together that doesn't mean that it was okay for her to keep him in the dark about something like that. The major question that still remains in his mind is, _how could she? _

He would never have done it to her no matter how upset he was at her.

Since Ember Island cleanses that means that everything is going to come out into the open. Basically it's going to have to be bad before it gets worse.

"How long is it going to be like this?"

Her voice makes him jump. She stifles a laugh and bends over to pick up the last pieces of clothing off of the floor. As she's bending though she makes sure to do it carefully, she doesn't want to put too much pressure on her stomach. "Are you just going to keep staring or are you going to say something?"

"I don't even know what mood you're in right now." She might break down crying and then she might want to butter him up or fight him.

She looks down at the clothes she folding and then back up at him after a moment of contemplation. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" He knows what she's sorry for.

She clicks her tongue and then exhales. "I just want my ring back." She says lowly. "I didn't mean for it to be like that."

"You don't need to apologize for feeling how you feel."

"It was too much Zuko."

"I know it was, but that's just how you are."

"I'm just going to act like I didn't hear that." A pillow is thrown at his head. He doesn't know why he wasn't able to duck it. Maybe it was the fact that the huge oak tree outside of the window looks like it's about break through the window at any moment.

He pulls her away from the window. "It wasn't meant in a bad way, Katara."

"I'm sure it wasn't." She pries his fingers off of her wrist. "How long is it supposed to be like this?"

"What?"

She rolls her eyes.

"The rain? I don't know, it might just be passing through. I might be gone by tomorrow." Zuko goes back and closes the curtains. "We shouldn't sleep in here tonight though."

"Why not?"

"Just in case the branch might crash the window. We can use the guest room tonight."

"Alright so… Are there any groceries here?"

He shrugs a shoulder. "I don't know." He pushes the dresser in front of the window as an extra precaution. If the window does break at least the glass won't spray too far off. Getting glass out of carpet is too much of a hassle.

"You left the chef at home, and I can't cook."

"This is a perfect time for you to learn then."

She looks offended but it's quickly replaced with surprise. "I've never seen you cook anything before."

"I've never had to. It was either you ordering food from somewhere or I'd go and have a meal at my families house." The dresser is heavier now that it's at a different angle, he has a little bit of difficulty swinging it back to the wall.

Katara steps in to help. "Let me help you."

"No, I can do it. You don't need to he doing this." He goes to the other side of the dresser and pulls it out, using every muscle in his arm and lifts it up and swings It to the wall. It took a bit of strength that he hasn't used in a long time but being a bit tired is better than having her help. She's pregnant, she doesn't need to be doing anything like that.

From the defied look in her eyes she didn't like it, but she's going to have to get used to it.

"You can't cook. Look at this, your burning water! How does that even happen?"

"Like you haven't burnt water before. You burnt it the same night you were cooking for the family football game."

"How am I gonna learn from someone who doesn't even know what he's doing? How are you gonna cook for this kid then?"

"That's what the chef is for. That's why people made those microwaveable dinners and things like that- you're cutting it _wrong_!"

"How is there a wrong way to cut shrimp?"

"Because it says butterfly shrimp, not chopped up shrimp!"

"Shrimp is shrimp in my book." Katara brushes him off but she starts to cut the raw shrimps the right way anyway. But she still laughs at how serious he's being about it. So far everything's good, they haven't had an exchange of words yet. He isn't serious about it he just thinks that if the recipe calls for butterfly shrimp then that's what she should be doing, slicing them down the middle.

They've been in this kitchen for thrifty minutes trying to prepare a decent meal for once and they've pretty much been bumping heads the entire time.

Zuko continues to slice the chicken breasts the way he'd seen his mother and aunts do it before. After this he's going to season them and fry them in oil in a skillet.

He can feel her eyes burning into his back when he's turning on the stove. Then her choppig stops and he can hear her hoisting herself up on the stool at the Island. "You know when I found out I was pregnant I was scared? I didn't know what to do with myself."

"We don't have to talk about this." It'll just bring him the pain that he doesn't feel like drawing in again. "Not now."

"I want to. I walked into an abortion clinic, I wasn't ready. We weren't ready.…"

"Stop it Katara."

"… But I couldn't do it, I could never do that. I left out right at the last minute. I couldn't kill my own child, I couldn't let someone else do it either."

Zuko's hands grip onto the counter top. His eyes shut tight and his jaw clenches and uncle he's trying his best… "Katara." But she won't listen. She never listens actually.

"I know it's my fault. I never should've left from home. If I would've stayed They would've had a chance." Her voice is sad and distant. It sounds like shes about to burst into tears in any minute now and that'll be all Zuko needs. "I did everything right, I even canceled some performances just to make sure that they would safer than the last one was."

Why is she saying all of this, why now? "I don't want to talk about this Katara." He swallows and slowly rises into an upright position. He keeps his heck to her the entire time because he doesn't want to look at her. He doesn't want to taser her watery blue eyes, he doesn't want to see the tears fall down her cheeks and the pained expression on her face. If Zuko sees all that it would just make it worse on him, when she hurts he hurts as well.

"I tried to kill myself. After they came out still born i couldn't handle the aftermath of it all. I overdosed on some pills… only reason I didn't was because Situ found me just in time."

He never heard that. Shouldn't something like that be broadcasted on the news? As long as he's been knowing Katara she's never bend the type to abuse drugs. She was thins strong, independent, outspoken and mysterious woman who would even think about death. There's a pit of nausea in his stomach and stirs more and more. What does he say to her statement? What can he say? He'd lost his children, and now he's just now finding out that he could've lost Katara as well.

"Why are you just now telling me this?" He asks Cooley, turning to face her with a controlled expression. He was right. She is on the verge of tears. "Why now Katara? Why didn't you tell me this before we left?"

"I don't know."

"Of course you know Katara. But you didn't find the need to tell me this, why? Why do you keep in hiding things?"

"Because I got tired of having it on my conscious all day and all night! Isn't this what you wanted? Didn't you want me to tell you all about this?"

"I did."

"So what's the problem then?" Since his back is to her again he can't tell where she's at exactly but he knows that she's moved closer. "Zuko!"

"There's not a problem Katara."

"That's a lie!"

"Then what do you want then?"

"The truth!"

"You want the truth?" He turns around on her and she backs up to the island. She's closer than he had expected her to be. "How do you expect me to stand here and listen to you telling me all of this without rethinking about happened? Face it, neither of us can handle the truth Katara."

"That won't stop me from saying it, and there's things you want to say too-"

"-Like what? What do you want me to say? Because what i _want_ to tell you is only going to hurt your feelings and break your heart!"

"You said you were scared to earlier."

"Well if I do it this time you'd never forgive me."

"You've done anything for me even be mad at you-"

"Dammit Katara!" He angrily yells out. She jumps at the outburst but she doesn't move. He grabs hold of her shoulder before he can stop himself and shakes her once, and then twice. "I slept with your cousin!"

He starts through gritted teeth. "I slept with her, and I did it more than once! And you know what else?" Zuko pushes away from her. "I liked it, I won't lie to you and tell you that I didn't!"

It's wrong, he knows. But she's acting like nothing ever happened between them at all. She keeps on sweeping everything under the carpet while hoping that it won't ever get bought up again. And she's mad and hurt at the same time, glaring at him more tears in eyes and heavy breathing. She needs this and he knows that she needs this. It's going to be better coming from him than it would from Kane, Yue, or even Situ.

"She was living in the house, that multi billiondollar mansion, that house that I bought for us, for _our_ family! And you act like its nothing, _nothing_! I had her in _our_ bed, in _your_ car, I had her getting _everything_ and doing everything that you should have! She went to dinner… with my parents, she was by me during business meetings and everything else! I had sex with her, and I _knew_ who she was! And i did that to get back at you!"

He breathes heavily, then runs a hand through his loose hair with a hand on his hip. "I know I made you leave, I know what I did and what I said. But Katara, that's something that you just don't get over. Just like I won't eve r Then the tears that were pooling in her eyes finally spill over, and instead of staying there to keep her stare or even comfort her, Zuko leaves her there in the kitchen alone, along with their uncooked meal.

He loves her, he loves her more than anything in the entire world. But right now, he can't continue with this discussion.

**.0.**

Maybe it's because she wanted everything to go back to normal that she let things go as easily as the way she did. The reality check has her reeling now, curled up in one of the guest room beds with the television showing some horror movie. The raining has stopped and so has the lightening and thundering. It's half past eight and Zuko still hasn't returned from wherever he left off to.

Although he left her with a terrible realization. He's never going to forgive her for what she did. Hell, she can't even forgive herself. She wishes that it could have happened differently. She never should've left, she should've told him she was pregnant. She shouldn't have went nine months without talking to Zuko and telling him about his child, she wishes she could go back and change time but she can't. She went into labor and had dead babies, and she didn't even tell him. He has every right to be.

She's seen him angry before, but not angry like that, flaring nostrils and wild eyes, his tight jawline and balled fists. He'd shook her, almost like he was trying to shake some since into her and he burned her. He was so upset and heated that his fingertips had burned into her shoulders a little bit. They're all healed up now and they shouldn't leave a scar behind. She doesn't hate him for it because now she sees where he's coming from. And knowing that he won't forgive her makes it even more worse.

He's always wanted a family. He's always wanted children and a wife. Katara didn't, she never wanted that before Zuko came around. They were so different back then. He wanted to settle down, she didn't. Well she did but she didn't want children. She didn't want to get married, the only thing that was on her mind was her music, her _dream_.

It feels like yesterday when he was just standing in front of her on that crowded street trying to get his words out, or when they'd had a nondate at the park and drank hot chocolate while they talked. She remembers how he told her that he accepts her broken heart and even though someone else hurt her he would deal with fixing it himself. No matter how many times she hid from him, ignored him, pushed him away… he always stayed no matter what. He'd done things for her no one else has, made her feel things that no other man had before.

He looked past the person that was on the outside and instead nurtured the person on the inside, the one whose just now breaking free. He accepted her past. He never judged her. Even tonight he didn't label her as anything but deep down inside she knows he wanted to.

Maybe sometimes she took him for granted. Before they got together he was the cities most eligible bachelor. When she has first found out who he was, Ozai Agni's son, she wasn't really even going to give him the time of day. She thought that he was spoiled and arrogant- he is, but not as much as she thought he was. Actually, he's one of the best people who she knows.

Katara guesses that's one of the reasons why Kane went after him. The other reasons could've been his money and his looks, because he used to be with Katara. The list goes on and on. Maybe she actually did have feelings for Zuko. He's the type that can easily get a woman to fall for him by not even trying. And what Zuko said about her was right too. While Katara was away Zuko had Kane to take her place, take her spot in his life. What did Katara do about it? Fight Kane twice, and then just get right back with Zuko like nothing ever happened.

They didn't talk about it, they didn't say what they had to say each other or anything like that. It was so rushed. Kane was in her bed, sleeping with him… and Zuko _liked_ sleeping with her because he thought that Katara had took on a relationship with Situ. He did all that just to make her jealous.

But does she forgive him? Kane is her cousin, her cousin. Still, her and Zuko were broken up when Kane came along. Of course she'll forgive him, it was just a technical. But how would he have liked it if she went after Lu Ten?

All she wants is for things to go back to how they used to be, before the pregnancy, before the tour, before everything. That's not even about to happen. Not after tonight at least. She wanted the truth and that's what he gave her. She deserves it.

It still hurts though, and it hurts even more coming from him.

She wasn't intending on telling him about the overdose, she doesn't even know how that did to come up. You can't blame her though. She was going through too much at one time. Too many shows, too many interviews and people pulling her In different directions, post dramatic stress and depression. She just wanted it all over. But that didn't happen the way it should have happened, and she doesn't understand why. No one else know about This but her, Situ, and now Zuko, and some private doctors.

She wants it to stay that way.

After wiping the newly fallen tears from her eyes and changing the televisions station to a cartoon she turns out the lamp besides the bed and places her ear buds in her ear. Listening to soft music helps her fall asleep at night, she discovered that while in Ba Sing Se. Hopefully tomorrow will be different.

She can only hope.

It looks like it hasn't even rained at all. The sand is dry and cool. The sun shines brightly in the cloudless sky and the clear blue waiter slashes softly in promising waves. Since this is a private beach there shouldn't be any interruptions and distractions from her having peace and quiet.

The wifi out here is a little shitty though. It comes and then goes back out, which makes her abandon her tablet and use the data on her phone instead. She's emailed Situ with yet another change of plans. There won't be two albums, there will just be one with commentary, and a video for each. It's good because it will be less of a work load for her but he still has to get the okay from the big man.

Zuko is out in the garbage back at the house doing God knows what. When she'd got up this morning he was in there making all kinds of noise, he barely told her good morning. He's still in a mood about last night. She is too but she's trying not to think about it too much. The more she thinks about it the more stress is going to be caused on her. Stress is the last thing she needs right now.

Sitting on a thick beach blanket wife everything she needs splattered out on it, she drinks down the disgusting mixture of herbs that Hama created for her. She almost throws it up once, then twice. She pushes it back down with a bottle of orange juice. He hasn't been into the stores or anything of Ember Island yet, she really isn't ready to just yet. She just wants some relaxation first. She likes being secluded here. It's peaceful and gives her time to reflect on other things.

Like her missing wedding ring. She doesn't have the slightest clue where it's at. Her finger feels naked without it. She never got rid of it in the first place because it still has sentimental meaning to her. It symbolized how everything was _before_.

She may as well let it go because she searched everywhere. That ring… no other can replace it.

So Katara gets to work reorganizing the playlists and making her emails, reviewing the pictures and videos from her last shoot. She stays out on the beach for hours just about, that's until she senses someone behind her. She looks over her shoulder and moves the strands of wavy hair out of her face so that she can see.

With the sun shining brightly behind him and the slight wind whipping his hair around his head, a shirtless Zuko stands there a few feet away from her holding a tray of food and a glass of something red. He looks nervous.

He steps forward more. "Are you busy?" She is but she can always have time for him.

"No, I was just finishing up." She closes her notebook and stacks up her things. "What's that?"

"I did you breakfast." He gestures toward the tray.

"It's three in the evening…" she says with her eyes on the bowl of freshly cut fruit and oats. It took him all that time to mix a bowl of fruit with nuts? She moves so that he can have a spot next to her and pulls her legs under her. The sheer white sleeveless cardigan that she's wearing is open in the front and shows off the white and gold bikini top that she's wearing. Zuko watches her stomach closely, even as he's sitting beside her and she pecks at the bowl of fruit.

"Think of it as a peace offering. I'm sorry." He finally says after a while. "Don't ask me for what, you already know. But I'm sorry for what i said last night and how I reacted. I'm sorry about Kane, and I'm sorry for making you leave that night. I should've told you what was going on."

It almost makes her cry. There's so much emotion in his voice and she can't help but jump into his arms and wrap her arms tightly around his neck. She understands where he's coming from and how he feels.

"I should've told you what was going on. I didn't have to keep it secret but I did." Katara says into his neck. "I'm sorry." She doesn't care about the Kane situation, she cares about what hurt him the most and that was bus children that died and he didn't even know. She'd picked the wrong timing last night, she admits, it could've went better than it did.

"It's alright."

"It'll never be alright." How can he say that?

His fingertips rake up and down her back. "It will be. We still have this one. We know better now. You're here, I'm here, and we're together. And after all this it doesn't look like anything can keep us apart." That's the truth. They've both been through so much. Too much.

"But things won't ever be the same." They've got six days left on the island, and she really hopes what he said about this place is true. She doesn't want to leave from here worse off than they were before. She doesn't want anymore fighting. All she wants is him, this baby, and to be happy.

"That's the point. They _won't_ be the same. They're going to be better than it ever was." Will they? "The most we can do is try."

They have to try. They can't bring a child into a broken relationship. She doesn't care what he did when she was away. They weren't together then, they were _mad_ back then, one trying to get back at the other. That's not how they're supposed to be.

"I won't." She squeezes him more. "I won't give up. I won't let you go."

Not now, not _ever_.

**.0.**

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